Dix Hills, N.Y., Student Wins Fulbright at Washington and Lee University

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Yasmine Espert

LEXINGTON, VA (05/27/2011)(readMedia)-- Yasmine Espert, a senior at Washington and Lee University from Dix Hills, N.Y, has received a Fulbright Research Grant to study in Barbados next year.

Espert is an art history major with a double minor in African-American studies and studio art. She will be researching and curating an exhibit with the Barbados Art Council (BAC) in Barbados. The exhibit will focus on Barbadian identity in the visual arts, including traditional portraiture. Espert will also be taking master's level courses under the Cultural Studies program at the University of the West Indies.

"I'm really excited about going to Barbados because the island is in the midst of a renaissance period," said Espert, a graduate of Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills. "The BAC will be my point of contact for research with other national art organizations, and the program at the University of the West Indies focuses on West Indian culture, which is a perfect complement to the show I'll be working on."

While at W&L, Espert interned at both the Staniar Gallery and the Reeves Center. She is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and the Phi Eta Sigma national honor societies. She belonged to the W&L Ladies' Club and the Art League and served as a resident advisor. She is the female winner of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, which is given annually to a graduating senior on the vote of the faculty.

Yasmine's project is the perfect intersection of study, research, and community outreach that she has come to embody as a student at W&L," said George Bent, professor of art and adviser to the Fulbright program at W&L. "While taking classes in Barbados, she will work closely with a gallery there to curate an exhibition of local artists who examine the issue of identity in their works. She has already secured the space and the time commitment from her contacts, thus ensuring that this important exhibition will be presented to the public."

Washington and Lee University, the nation¹s ninth oldest institution of higher education, is among the nation¹s premier liberal arts colleges and universities. Washington and Lee University provides a liberal arts education that develops students' capacity to think freely, critically, and humanely and to conduct themselves with honor, integrity, and civility. Graduates are prepared for life-long learning, personal achievement, responsible leadership, service to others, and engaged citizenship in a global and diverse society.