Janeil Engelstad

U.S. Scholar to the Slovak Republic
Field: Arts and Art Administration
Host Institution: Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Grant Date: 2006

Janeil Engelstad (left) and Nora Hlozekova, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in the Slovak Republic

In 2006 I was a Fulbright Scholar, teaching arts management at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design (AFAD), in Bratislava, Slovakia. The primary goals of the course were to give students the knowledge and skills to manage their professional careers and the ability to produce creative projects.

As one of the leading art schools in Central Europe, AFAD attracts exchange students from throughout the continent, as well as from Asia and the United States. Thus, there were fine arts and design students from thirteen different countries enrolled in the course. This diversity created a dynamic and creative atmosphere that was full of enthusiasm, exchange, and ideas. We took this energy and produced two dynamic exhibitions and public art projects. Not only was I teaching, but I was also producing, collaborating and learning how to create work in a completely new and challenging environment. It was a gratifying experience that led me to develop new methods for working as well as new ideas for international projects and exhibitions.

Since my Fulbright grant ended I have continued to work in Central Europe as both an artist and curator. I have developed a professional network that expands throughout the region and helped me produce Voices From the Center: Central Europeans Reflect on Life Before and After the Fall of the Berlin Wall, an international project that includes an interactive web site, exhibitions and artist’s lectures.

This project unfolded from a series of conversations that I had with friends and colleagues in Bratislava and expanded to include people from throughout Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. Voices From the Center, was a direct result of my Fulbright experience and has moved me into a new way of thinking about what I produce and how I work in the world. It was nothing less than an expansive and transformative experience.

The Fulbright Program provides artists and arts professionals opportunities for sharing and growth on many levels. These opportunities can inspire individual change and help to broaden the influence that the arts should have in all aspects of society. This is especially important at a time when the global community is looking for new, inspiring ideas about how we can make positive change for the good of all people and the planet.

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