Rohini Iyengar Vadapalli, Ph.D., adjunct professor in the Department of Art and Design, has received a Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award in the teaching and research category for the 2026-27 academic year. For scholars and professionals, the Fulbright-Nehru grants offer opportunities to conduct research, teach or pursue both. These fellowships support collaboration with Indian institutions, contribute to academic development, and enhance cross-cultural exchange. Vadapalli’s host institution will be Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad, Telangana.
Her project, “Regionalism in the Visual Arts: Cases from Telugu Lands, India and Mid-Atlantic, USA (2000–2025),” will trace the development of 21st-century visual arts in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in India as well as New Jersey and New York in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. by drawing parallels between the living folk traditions of both regions. The study will compare and contrast the two regions based on the economic-technological and politico-religious aspects affecting the arts. Her research will also highlight the importance of artificial intelligence in various art spheres.
Vadapalli hopes to enable the introduction of new courses on regional contemporary art and curatorial studies, as well as courses on the histories of regional modern Indian art. She notes that the project also holds interdisciplinary relevance for furthering scholarship on American regionalism studies. Additionally, the project will provide a database for art historians to conduct research both in the U.S. and India.
Her primary research focuses on regional aesthetics and factors affecting the nuances of regional artistic identities, with a secondary interest in premodern visual traditions of India. Her publications include exhibition catalogues, magazines, peer-reviewed essays in art journals, and edited textbooks on art and art history.
The Fulbright-Nehru program is jointly funded by the U.S. and Indian governments and administered by the United States-India Educational Foundation. The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program of international educational and cultural exchange, offers accomplished students and scholars in more than 160 countries opportunities to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to mutual understanding.