Katie Ligmond

Name:  Katie Ligmond

College:  Graduate

What Award/ Scholarship did you receive?  The Research Center for the Americas Graduate Student Grant for research of the Wari textile collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Textile Museum in Washington DC.

What year do you expect to graduate?  2023

Where do you call home?  I’m from Orange County, but I have been living in the Bay Area for most of my adult life.

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out?  The work of Carolyn Dean, who I found highlighted Indigenous ideologies so well in her work. She is my advisor now!

What is your field of focus?  Andean textiles and their relationship to governmental bodies. Primarily I focus on Pre-Hispanic empires, but I also look at the role of the Catholic Church in Latin America.

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz?  Become a professor of art history.

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here?  I loved walking from my office to my car and watching the sunset over the ocean in the distance. Hoping to see that again soon!

What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz?  As a graduate student, I can only give general advice, but the number one thing I would say is that you need to take classes outside your comfort zone! Talk to your friends, go to museums, travel, find the things that inspire you!

How will this scholarship impact your academic life /research?  I am so excited to visit these textiles in person, they have been the center of my research for my entire graduate career and I’ve never had the opportunity to view them up close. Having this kind of experience is invaluable, I’ll be able to not only understand their technical creation with more clarity, but also experience the weight and feel, and fully understand how these subject/objects were used by the people who wore and created them.