Only a few of weeks into the job, the new curator of the Indiana State University Permanent Art Collection prepared one of its most valuable pieces for a 一路平安.

Jocelyn 克鲁格, a 2013 Master of Fine Arts graduate, departed for Marseille, France, in May with 烟囱, an oil painting on canvas made by Joseph Stella in 1935. It is part of the “将来时: De la Ville aux 演员名”展览, running May through October, that explores ways science, industry and technology inspired modern artists.

Packaged in a special waterproof crate, the Stella piece — valued as much as $1.5 million — was accompanied by 克鲁格 through the backdoors of customs areas.

“一开始, it sounded like I was going to have to sleep in the warehouse with the painting, but they have security and staff for it (at night),”她说。. “I still have to get up early and stay late to make sure it’s handled and hung properly.”

Sorting out what should be in the Permanent Art Collection, which includes two-dimensional art, as well as ceramics and sculptures, is another challenge for 克鲁格, as the collection has a “long and varied history” of how pieces were introduced.

“What I’m going to enjoy the most is seeing the collection grow and develop into something that reflects the strengths on campus,”她说。.  

克鲁格 grew up in Cedar Falls, 爱荷华州, and worked with foil imaging while pursuing her undergraduate degree at the University of 爱荷华州. Because of the expense of the material, she switched to a walnut-ink medium that she makes by herself. 今天, she enjoys using ink and paper because of its fluidity, which can also become a metaphor for her content.

克鲁格’s work often focuses on the interaction between two people, and her thesis project focused on images of one person saving another from drowning — a reflection on the human condition.

“We rely on one another, even if we don’t know it, and our actions can seem to be harmful or harmless, depending on our perspective, and we must sometimes put ourselves in danger in order to help others,”她说。.

Debt is another subject of interest for 克鲁格, who once wrote a check for each country’s debt and mailed it to them to become the most indebted person in world. 她的 Idebtity series started about 10 years ago to explore the different aspects of how debt can shape one’s identity.