North Park University Student, Art Professor Selected for 2012 Fulbright Awards

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May 01, 2012, 03:36 ET

CHICAGO, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Fulbright Program awarded overseas teaching opportunities for the next academic year to two women from North Park University, Chicago. Senior Karen Kelly was awarded an English Teaching Assistantship to teach in a secondary school in Andorra, a small European country between France and Spain. Nnenna Okore, associate professor and art department chair, was named a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, and will teach and work closely on environmental art projects with artists, galleries and art organizations in her home country of Nigeria.

Kelly will graduate this month from the University with a double major in global studies and French. She is fluent in English, French and Spanish, and has taken Arabic courses at the University. The mix of languages and cultures in Andorra piqued Kelly's interest. "That's what stood out to me because on the description for candidates, it said they will give preference to candidates who speak Spanish or French," Kelly said.

The daughter of Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) missionaries, Kelly was born and raised in Mexico City, and is a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States.

Okore plans to teach artists how to use discarded materials to create works of art, and raise attention for environmental restoration in Nigeria. Okore is a sculptor, whose niche is in environmental art. She uses materials such as newspapers, wax, cloth, rope, clay and sticks in her art.

Many Nigerian artists have tried including recycled materials in their work. But generally, the culture does not accept such works as genuine art because recycled materials are used, Okore explained. "Part of my aim is to begin to bring some authenticity to the use of our environment, and the use of things that are byproducts of that environment. We should be thinking of ways to recycle things back into our art and into our daily lives," she said.

Okore will open a studio in Lagos and collaborate with local students and artists. She will also design and teach a course in environmental art at the University of Lagos.

The Fulbright Program is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, research, and teaching worldwide.

The complete text of this story is at http://www.northpark.edu/News/Current-News/North-Park-University-Student-Art-Professor-Selected-for-2012-Fulbright-Awards on the North Park University website.

SOURCE North Park University