Alfred University student awarded Fulbright grant; second student named semi-finalist

麦克马斯特获得了硕士学位.F.A. in ceramic art during Alfred’s University’s commencement ceremonies Saturday, 5月11日, will study the practice of creating African-influenced and inspired pottery in the Caribbean nation. A second Alfred University graduate, 海蒂·莫特森, was named a semi-finalist for a Fulbright award.

她变成了18岁^th 富布赖特U.S. Student Program grant winner from Alfred University in the last 47 years and the first since Taylor Jaczko in 2018. For her Fulbright project — “Wadadli民间: A People's 历史 of Afro Antiguan Pottery” — McMaster will work with and learn from Hyacinth Hillhouse and Edith Lyne, makers of traditional Antiguan pottery, 海景农场村, 安提瓜和巴布达.

“I strive to both preserve and expand traditional Antiguan pottery and the stories and memories that live in and through this material practice. As with many cultural wisdoms of historically oppressed peoples, this cultural legacy lives only in the minds and hands of the women who practice them,” McMaster wrote in her Statement of Grant Purpose to the Fulbright Commission. “Hyacinth Hillhouse and Edith Lyne are the last Antiguans who carry this traditional skillset. These women are from a line of female heritage potters who use West African influenced making practices that trace back to the 17th century.”

With the support of the Fulbright Program, McMaster—who was born in the United States and grew up in Antigua—will learn from Hillhouse and Lyne while documenting their making methods and oral histories. The project will culminate in a group exhibition, “Wadadli民间,” with the support of the 安提瓜和巴布达 Museum.

Mortensen, who received her M.F.A. in sculpture/dimensional studies on Saturday, applied for an award to Germany. She proposed to research the integration of recent immigrants into German society and create sculptural works responding to the stories and memories of their homeland, as well as their experiences as they attempt to forge connections to a new country. She has been awarded a residency at the Cité Internationale des 艺术 in Paris.

McMaster and Mortensen began working on their Fulbright applications last spring, assisted by Alfred University’s Fulbright Program Committee and members of the Alfred University faculty. 保罗·布里格斯, assistant professor of ceramics, Meghen琼斯, associate professor of art history, 还有阿德罗·威拉德, former visiting assistant professor of ceramic art, wrote letters of recommendation on McMasters’ behalf; Rebecca Arday, 玻璃助理教授, 珊瑚兰伯特, 雕塑教授, 还有玛丽·麦金尼斯, former professor of art history, wrote letters supporting Mortensen’s application.

The applications were submitted to the Fulbright Committee last October and the students were notified of the award status this month. Ellen Bahr, a librarian at Herrick Library, is Alfred University’s Fulbright Program advisor. 她和劳拉·约翰逊, 海外教育总监, 安德鲁Kless, professor of history and global studies, 威廉-惠勒, assistant 雕塑教授, 斯科特·米斯特雷, Inamori Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, make up Alfred University’s Fulbright Program Committee.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. federal government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. 国会到美国.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

参与政府, 主办机构, 公司, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program, established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. 森. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas operates in over 160 countries worldwide.