ARTHUR MAHRER Staff Writer
Dr. Rachel Epp Buller, professor of visual arts and design at Bethel has recently been awarded a second Fulbright scholarship. Epp Buller was awarded her first Fulbright research grant in 2011 and was stationed in Berlin.
“My Fulbright is a 4-month research stay, January-May, at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, where I'll be working with other artists and scholars in an interdisciplinary institute called the Research-Creation and Social Justice CoLABoratory,” Epp Buller said.
Other than the exploits of Epp Buller, Fulbrighters are not unknown to Bethel college, with former professor John McCabe-Juhnke to Ukraine in 2016, and Kathryn Kasper, former vocal instructor, to Paraguay in the early 2000’s. The Bethel community, while thrilled for Dr. Epp Buller’s achievements, may have questions about what this scholarship entails, how this award is linked to visual art and design, and the significance of this award to its recipient.
The Fulbright award was established in 1946 as a result of Senator J. William Fullbright’s bill to enhance international cooperation in education through an exchange program between the US and other nations.
According to the Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Press Office, “since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.”
Thus, Dr. Epp Buller finds herself in a clique of globally impactful thinkers who conduct research through a variety of disciplines. A key feature of the award is that it offers a variety of opportunities to teachers and students to connect internationally, a form of people-to-people diplomacy.
More specifically, the Fullbright was awarded to Dr. Epp Buller in the field of Visual Art and Design, and is related to her research project titled, Slow Practices for Speculative Futures: Embodied Listening through Contemporary Art. The project explores a set of art forms, including letter writing, embroidery, durational performances and walking projects. According to the Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Press Release, “part of her early research for this project involved developing and teaching a class on Slow Art for Fast Times at Bethel College in Spring 2021.”
One of the perks of receiving this award is being a part of a list of individuals who have gone above and beyond: Nobel Prize laureates and Pulitzer Prize recipients, for example. Despite the prestigiousness of this award, it was not handed to Dr. Epp Buller on a silver platter. It's a rigorous selection process that can’t be completed without a significant amount of effort to apply.
The award is significant in that it provides the opportunity for individuals to focus on their discipline of interest without the trappings of financial requirements.
“My first Fulbright allowed our family to move abroad for a time and experience that shift in cultures together. It validated my research at a time when I had finished grad school but hadn't yet started full-time teaching. And it gave me the gift of paid time to do research, a luxury not usually afforded to professors at small liberal arts colleges.” Dr. Epp Buller said.
Giving students and professors alike a chance to zone in on a particular area of study with the intricacies of intercultural experiences is invaluable, and the Collegian congratulates Dr. Epp Buller; she makes Bethel College proud!
