Second-year art therapy graduate student Rachel Blankenship has received the Fulbright Award in Health, Well-Being, and Sport at the University of Stirling in Scotland to study the integration of art therapy and sports psychology.

Blankenship will head to Scotland this September, where she will engage in research focusing on how the integration of art therapy techniques aids the rehabilitation of professional athletes who are recovering from injury.

A former collegiate and professional athlete herself, Blankenship understands the pressures faced by athletes and the impact on their mental health and overall well-being.

“I am extremely honored to receive the Fulbright/University of Stirling Award in Health, Well-being, and Sport and represent Florida State internationally,” said Blankenship. “Through studying art therapy, I realized there was an exciting opportunity to merge two of my biggest passions: art and sport. I have found that the meditative qualities at the intersection of these areas provide an outlet to express emotion and movement. This has incredible potential for the future of wellness among athletic populations.”

Outside of her studies and research, Blankenship is looking forward to exploring the UK with her husband, who will be joining her in Scotland, and getting involved with local sports teams.

Blankenship credits several offices at FSU with supporting her through the Fulbright process.

“I am incredibly grateful for the continued support and encouragement of faculty and staff within the art therapy program,” she said. “I also want to thank the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards for their invaluable guidance throughout this process.”

You can follow Rachel on her Fulbright journey on Instagram at @rach.blank.

Nine Florida State University faculty members have been selected as U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program award recipients, setting a new FSU record for most Fulbright Scholars in one year.

FSU College of Fine Arts is proud that Pat Villeneuve, professor and program director for Arts Administration in the College of Fine Arts, is one of these nine record-breakers.

Villeneuve received a U.S. Fulbright Scholar grant to conduct collaborative research in Belgium starting Spring 2021. She plans to work with colleagues from FARO, the Flemish cultural and heritage agency; KUL (Catholic University Leuven); Museum M (Leuven); SMAK, the City Museum of Contemporary Art (Ghent); and the Museum on the River (Amsterdam) on two upcoming books advocating paradigmatic change to visitor-centered museum practices.

About Pat Villeneuve

Villeneuve has been with Florida State University since 2003. In that time, she has developed a new graduate programs in Museum Education and Visitor-Centered Exhibitions as well as supported interpretation, a model for visitor-centered exhibitions. Pat is editor of the book From Periphery to Center: Art Museum Education in the 21st Century and recipient of the National Art Education Association museum educator of the year award in 2009. Other research interests include organizational sustainability and constructivist teaching. Pat has published and presented extensively nationally and internationally.

About the U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program

The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) has administered the U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program for nearly 70 years on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. The program awards nearly 470 teaching and research opportunities in more than 125 countries to university scholars and other professionals, including artists, attorneys and scientists.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, some plans have been changed or modified to reflect travel advisories.

The Fulbright Program Team continues to monitor the progression of COVID-19 in the U.S. and around the world. They are “working closely with partner governments, Fulbright Commissions, U.S. Embassies, Fulbright cooperating agencies and U.S. and foreign host institutions to provide guidance and information to exchange participants.”

For more information, visit the U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program or Fulbright Scholar Program Status Updates.