Amaanat
A call to participate in an object story archive
Created by Nirmal Raja, interdisciplinary artist
11 Miller Street, Studio #112, Somerville, MA 02143
Email: nirmalinbetween@gmail.com
Key focus
I am interested in the migration of objects and the subsequent loss of meaning over time. Objects that hitchhiked with an immigrant to the United States may quickly lose their relevance as connections to their countries of origin fade for second and third-generation Americans. They may also become portkeys to family lore and imagination where they hold mysterious and shifting stories that are important nevertheless.
Need
● What is lost in the intersections of memory, ownership, movement and the material remnant?
● How can the connection between meaning and object be maintained amidst a shifting landscape of global migration?
● The objects that immigrants carry and keep become bridges to the past and tenuous connections to places of origin.
● Tap into the potential of mystery and lore that reveals another layer of human experience.
Solution
● My project is about recording stories of family heirlooms and quotidian objects in families with immigrant histories, tapping into material culture’s affective potential.
● Objects in public collections, on the other hand, speak of data: date, place of origin, culture, and material. Here, objects are made strange by museum practices that don’t necessarily include human narratives.
● Stories hold subjective feelings like love, loss, longing, reverence, and culture or climate-specific utility is lost due to their temporal and physical distance from the land of origin and the hands of the maker.
Process
I am grateful to launch this project at the AAPI Arts and Culture summit on January 30th 2026. Moving forward I plan to partner with local libraries, museums and institutions to hold hour long "recording sessions" where interested parties can bring their “precious” objects that they or their ancestors brought with them. In these sessions, I plan to 3D scan the objects and audio and/or video record relevant stories. Alternatively, we can set up individual appointments in my studio or at your home.
Initially preserved in an online archive, this project might find physical space in the form of 3D printed object interventions in gallery and museum settings or a composite sculptural work. Open to all immigrants, this project reveals the rich diversity, interconnectedness, and interdependence of all Americans as demonstrated in the form of empathic listening of stories.
How to become part of the archive
Your story can be included in the archive if you have an object that fits any of the following prompts:
● The object is something that is meaningful and important to your family history
● The object was brought into the country by you when you migrated or by your ancestors when they migrated
● The object has a story that is important to hold on to whether cultural, personal or historical
● The object may or may not have monetary value. Some examples are letters, travel documents, cultural artifacts, ritual objects, jewelry, art, handmade objects by family members, containers, statuettes, handmade or machine made, cloth, garments, quaint souvenirs with a story, printed or framed photographs, books, journals, handmade and handed down
● The object may have family lore that may or may not be true but is important nevertheless
● Contact me over email to set up an appointment at nirmalinbetween@gmail.com
● During the appointment, your stories will be audio and/or video recorded. This facilitates slow looking and a meditative reflection that focuses on the power of touch as a trigger for memory.
● Your object will be 3D scanned. The 3D files may be printed for a possible exhibition and maybe incorporated in conceptual sculptures.
● Video interviews and photographs of your object will be shared on this online archive. This is a public archive that may be used for future research.
Nirmal Raja
Nirmal Raja is an interdisciplinary artist who recently relocated to Cambridge, MA after living and working in Milwaukee for over 24 years. Before immigrating to the United States in 1991, she lived in India, South Korea, and Hong Kong. She holds a BA in English Literature from St. Francis College in Hyderabad, India, a BFA from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. In recognition of her accomplishments, she was named “Graduate of the Decade” by UW–Milwaukee. Other honors include the 2020 Mary L. Nohl Fellowship for Individual Artists and the 2022 Mildred L. Harpole Artists of the Year Award from the Milwaukee Arts Board.
Raja has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions regionally, nationally, and internationally. She has participated in residencies at MASS MoCA, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Arts/Industry Residency at Kohler, among others. A collaborator by nature, she often works with other artists and curates exhibitions that bring together people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
At the core of her practice is a compelling refusal to be defined by others. She is committed to letting curiosity and experimentation guide her path. Her work revolves around understanding the impact of migration on women, the weight of cultural responsibilities placed on women while traversing geographic boundaries, and material culture as a witness and testament to these memories. Raja is a member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery and is represented in Milwaukee by the Portrait Society Gallery.
