12 Days Countdown–12/4/2012.

Text by Lynn McDaniel.

Texas A&M University is proud of its Texas heritage, but it’s so much more than just a Lone Star University. Texas A&M University at Qatar has an enrollment of more than 350 engineering students from more than 20 countries. A&M also provides educational opportunities at the Texas A&M Facility in Mexico City, Mexico, at the Soltis Center for Research and Education in San Isidro, Costa Rica and at the Santa Chiara Study Center in Santa Chiara, Italy! Courses vary at each of the four A&M study centers, but they provide students the opportunity to learn about different cultures, different languages, and different world perspectives.

“It’s one body. We’re all students, faculty and staff; we all care about each other. The success of this place is the success of ourselves.”

Qatar Student

Texas A&M is proud to embrace diversity and to recognize the rights of every individual. It is only after we get to know and understand each other’s differences that we discover deep down, we’re all the same.

In keeping with Texas A&M’s leadership in forging a global vision, the Forsyth Galleries is constantly seeking ways to make our guests from all countries feel welcome in our galleries.  Although the Forsyth Galleries’ core collection is primarily comprised of English Cameo Glass and American paintings, cameo glass actually has a rich cultural heritage. One of the Forsyth’s goals for the upcoming year is to explore the history and influence Asia, India and other countries had on the development of cameo glass, as well as on other types of pieces in our collection. We will be inviting guest speakers and developing programming to bring a variety of cultures into the galleries, using art as the universal language.

We invite you to join us!

Works Cited

Texas A&M University. Website: http://www.tamu.edu/about/facts/branchCampuses.html. Date accessed 12/4/12.

Art Spotted: Burgos, Spain

Cherub Holding Skull, 1500s, Catedral de Burgos, España

This small sculpture of a cherub holding a skull is located next to the central nave of the Burgos Cathedral in Burgos, Spain, and most probably dates to the first half of the 1500s.  Construction on the cathedral began in 1221 and the high altar was consecrated in 1260.  After 200 years, construction began again and the cathedral was “finished” in 1567, though the Chapel of Saint Tecla was added in the 18^th Century.  The cathedral is the burial place of El Cid (Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar), an early 11^th Century military hero, and his wife Doña Jimena.

Door of Saint Mary, Catedral de Burgos, España

Though the cathedral is open to the public for tours, it is a living church that serves the people of Burgos.  The cathedral is also known for being a stop on the El Camino de Santiago (the Way of Saint James), a pilgrimage route ending at the Santiago de Campostela Cathedral in Galicia, northern Spain, where it is traditionally thought the remains of Saint James are interred.

Seashell marker for the Camino de Santiago on the street in Burgos, España.

Homepage for the Catedral de Burgos.