Inspiring Budding Engineers with Indian Art

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Two alumni of Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) will exhibit works from their collection of modern and contemporary art in the halls of the engineering and applied sciences school through March 30, 2013. The exhibit, "Shifting Sublime," includes the work of prominent Indian artists as well as historic Bollywood posters from the private collection of Marguerite and Kent Charugundla.

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"Engineering is founded on the principles of simplicity and style, and frequently the most structurally sound designs are the most beautiful, as well," said NYU-Poly President Jerry M. Hultin. "The splendor of the Brooklyn Bridge, whose cables were fabricated by NYU-Poly graduate James Woods, displays this most elegantly. We thank Kent and Marguerite for exemplifying how a love of science and engineering and a love of art can coexist and strengthen each other, and for generously sharing their collection with the NYU-Poly community."

"Art is everywhere – outside your window in the morning, in the pot of the lobby plant, in your mobile phone and in everything designed and engineered," said Marguerite Charugundla. "Every time you look at art, you see something new, and art changes the way you look at the world. We wanted to share our art with NYU-Poly's students, who come from all over the world, in the hope that it will expand their vision and their lives."

NYU-Poly educates students from 56 countries; one-third are international students, and 10 percent come from India.

The Charugundlas, recent graduates of NYU-Poly's masters program in Management of Technology, have been patrons of modern and Indian art for more than a decade, and they turned the first floor of one of their New York telecom business offices into the not-for-profit Tamarind Art. The gallery showcases Indian artists and helps fund struggling art associations in India.

The exhibit will formally open with a private reception on the NYU-Poly Brooklyn campus September 27, 2012. Works exhibited throughout three buildings include paintings by the seminal modern artist M. Sashidharan, acrylics by the award-winning artist Kamal Mitra, Partha Shaw, Stanley Suresh, Samir Aich, Pratul Dash, Narendra Rai, and prints and video by Australian digital artist Kathy Smith. Rupa Shah curated the exhibit.

About Polytechnic Institute of New York University

Polytechnic Institute of New York University (formerly Polytechnic University), an affiliated institute of New York University, is a comprehensive school of engineering, applied sciences, technology and research, and is rooted in a 158-year tradition of invention, innovation and entrepreneurship: i²e. The institution, founded in 1854, is the nation's second-oldest private engineering school. In addition to its main campus in New York City at MetroTech Center in downtown Brooklyn, it also offers programs at sites throughout the region, around the globe and remotely through NYUe-Poly. NYU-Poly is an integral part of NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU Shanghai and the NYU Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) in downtown Brooklyn. For more information, visit www.poly.edu.

SOURCE Polytechnic Institute of New York University