Brandon D’Souza, Class of 2021
Brandon D’Souza, majored in Biology, Evolution and Ecology, and Spanish at OSU. He graduated with research distinction in Spring of 2021. His thesis project, Interactive Technologies and Indigenous Art: Exploring the Use of Immersive Resources to Increase Audience Engagement with Ceramic Pieces in the Andean and Amazonian Indigenous Art and Cultural Artifacts Collection at The Ohio State University, focused on the development of a digital interactive resource designed to increase audience engagement with Canelos Quichua ceramics housed in the Andean and Amazonian Indigenous Art and Cultural Artifacts Collection at Ohio State (AAAC). Brandon’s central research question centered on the extent to which digital interactive, multi-sensory resources encourage audience engagement with indigenous art, increase knowledge of and appreciation for indigenous forms of expression, and provide insight into key Andean and Amazonian concepts and practices. The importance of the promising educational tool he developed is underscored by the fact that it incorporates aspects of indigenous ideology into the resource itself. You can explore the interactive resource here.
Outside of academics, Brandon enjoys working out and playing sports, watching movies, visiting museums, listing to music, thrifting, and collecting vinyl records. Brandon hopes to attend medical school and eventually work as a psychiatrist, serving minoritized populations and researching how social determinants such as race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and religion intersect with medicine.
Elaine Louden, Class of 2020
Elaine’s largest undertaking during her time as a curator was the development of a website and virtual archive for the Collection. She graduated in Spring 2020 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Health and Spanish and will her continue her studies at Yale University where she will receive a Master in Public Health, concentrating in Health Policy. Elaine enjoys running, reading novels, baking, and traveling outside of academics.
Frances Dillon, Class of 2020
studies. Frances is especially interested in Andean textile and needlework traditions. As a FLAS Fellow studying Bolivian Quechua, she worked to integrate Quechua vocabulary, stories, and descriptions into the existing Collection through audio clips and translation.Diego Arellano, Class of 2018
Diego Arellano is currently a Senior Associate at Artnet Auctions working in the Prints and Multiples Department. As a liaison between Specialists and clients, Mr. Arellano conducts comprehensive research to deliver successful results at auction while analyzing the contemporary art market for patterns and trends. In 2017, he was named a Research Fellow under the Collaboration for Humane Technologies for his work on the production and implementation of digital initiatives as a student curator for Ohio State’s Andean and Amazonian Cultural Artifact Collection. Mr. Arellano has also served as a guest curator at the LGBT Archives in New York City and is a board member for Global Arts Access, an organization that uses technology to improve access to art and history. Diego Arellano graduated cum laude in 2018 from The Ohio State University where he received a BA with research distinction in arts management and completed thesis, Addressing Issues of Audience, Accessibility and Appreciation with Ohio State’s Andean and Amazonian Cultural Artifact Collection. He currently lives and works in Washington DC.