Fulbright/Kennedy Center Fellowship for Performing Arts and Science

This fellowship is made possible through a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the Kennedy Center’s departments of International Programming and Arts and Wellbeing.

The award was established to support research and innovative multidisciplinary projects addressing the connection between the performing arts, the environment, health, and wellbeing from the point of view of artists and/or scientists. Wellbeing can be defined as communal wellbeing (focusing on climatology, sociology, anthropology, etc.) or individual wellbeing (tapping into medical fields such as neurobiology, psychology, audiology, kinesthesiology, etc.

Areas of Research

• Sustainability in the arts and in cultural centers:
  • Use of resources and reuse of waste.
  • Use of materials respectful to the environment and use of renewable energy in the performing arts
  • Environmental awareness through the arts
  • Sustainable arts practices
  • Mental health
  • Community building for positive health outcomes
  • Dissemination of health-related information
  • Effects of arts on the body
  • Effects of arts on health
  • Social prescriptions + therapeutic usage of the arts.

Cost Covered

• The selected participant will receive J-1 visa sponsorship, J-1 visa compliant health benefits, and round-trip international travel to the United States.  The Fulbright visiting scholar will also receive a stipend to cover living expenses, settling in, and professional development allowances, and if applicable, a dependent allowance intended to offset the cost of required dependent health insurance. J visa compliant health insurance and travel costs for accompanying dependents are the responsibility of the participant.
• Duration
  • September/October – May/June (Minimum of 3 months, maximum of 10 months)

Fellowship Activity

• The selected Fellow will work with the Kennedy Center’s departments of International Programming and Arts and Wellbeing as an advisor and partner to develop a project that focuses on the intersection of performing arts, science, and wellbeing that will inform or reflect work being done at the Kennedy Center. The Fellow will have access to performances, rehearsals, special events, Kennedy Center programmers, artistic advisors, artists, staff of the education department and administrative staff as requested and approved. They will also be able to utilize connections that the Center has with other institutions, including but not limited to: NIH, The SoundHealth Network, Johns Hopkins University, and environmental organizations. The Fellow will be a part of the Kennedy Center team while in residence, with the hope that their work will influence what the Center presents and how it operates in the years to come. Strong applicants will be emerging or established experts in their fields, self-motivated, with experience and projects in the arts and/or sciences that align with the Kennedy Center’s mission, values, and goals.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible candidates will be researchers or professionals in the performing arts, research science, or a related field, and be a citizen of and resident in one of the following countries: Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Morocco, Turkey, or South Korea. U.S. Citizens or U.S. permanent residents, including dual citizens, are ineligible for Fulbright Visiting Scholar Awards.
  • A Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience is required for candidates applying from the performing arts; a Ph.D. or equivalent professional experience is required for applicants whose primary discipline is in the sciences.
  • Past experience with large cultural institutions and/or developing large-scale performances is preferred.
  • Applicants must be regularly practicing in their fields, with a strong, demonstrated curiosity in the cross-section of art, science, the environment and wellbeing.
• Disciplines
  • The Fulbright/Kennedy Center Fellowship for Performing Arts And Science is open to scientists and/or artists and the below lists are intended to be suggestive rather than exhaustive:
    • Neuroscience
    • Biology | Ecology
    • Engineering |Civil Engineering Environmental Science Acoustics | Acoustic Ecology Anthropology
    • Psychology
    • Performing Arts (including but not limited to instrumental music, vocal performance, dance, theater, performance art, spoken word/storytelling, comedy, multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary performing arts)
    • Public Health
    • Sociology
    • Sustainability | Sustainable Development
    • Urban Studies | Urban Planning.

For more information, visit John F. Kennedy Center.