2013 Fellows {2014 fellows coming soon!}
Nelle with her sweet pup Thisbe
(thanks for taking care of her while I’m gone, mama!)
NELLE DUNLAP
Midwest adventurer Nelle Dunlap crawled out of a cornfield and whizzed through elementary, middle, and high school. Dunlap sunk her teeth into cello performance, theatre production, and graphic design at the University of Iowa, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2008. In 2011, she hopped a train to Baltimore’s Maryland Institute College of Art to earn her Master of Fine Arts in Community Arts.
Throughout and betwixt these academic experiences, Dunlap has developed an art practice grounded in performance and digital technology. Thematically, her work addresses the constructs of mass media in terms of use and ownership, and the changing modes of communication brought about by new technologies.
Dunlap’s art-making informs her community organizing and vice versa; she has founded and managed multiple artist collectives, studio spaces, and performance venues. In partner to her in-studio digital work, Dunlap facilitates projects that build others’ ability to use media-making tools. This commitment has taken the form of video and web instruction in senior centers, in public schools, and in non-profit community centers; and active involvement in public access and other forms of independent local television.
Dunlap has a penchant for spectacle, a true belief in the power of communal effort, and a commitment to learning and working to make the world a better, fairer place. She is beyond excited to join her fellow Fellows in Hyderabad; she can’t wait for the amazing stories she will hear and the amazing story she will live.
Nicole’s favorite things include polka dots and the fast lane.
NICOLE WISLER
Nicole Wisler is a 22 year old who never grew out of reading books at the dinner table or striking up conversations with perfect strangers. She recently graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. where she earned a B.A. in International Relations as well as one in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Experiences apart from her time spent in class, such as directing a production of the Vagina Monologues, organizing and leading two service-learning trips (one to India!), and participating in a range of standard Washingtonian political protests and rallies have helped Nicole learn many things: the value of community, empathy, and a reliable watch, how to trust in her own ideas and voice, and the importance of truly seeking out and listening to the voices of others.
The last of these lessons helped Nicole to realize she wanted to pursue documentary film. She began by interning at the D.C. based production company, Spark Media, which specializes in producing social issue documentaries last summer. In the fall she took part in the Community Voice Project; a collaboration between American University and the Anacostia Community Museum in which she helped train a local performing artist and youth mentor to produce a digital story about his life and work. These experiences led her reject the idea that any individual or group is inherently “voiceless” and instead to commit to using participatory storytelling to amplify those voices that have been silenced, ignored, or co-opted.
However, as perhaps the best kind should, Nicole’s college experience left her with more questions than answers and she considers her education far from over. She can’t wait to begin this new chapter of learning alongside her students and co-teachers in Hyderabad.
Ice cream & wearable art:
the true pleasures of life.
SHIVANI LAKSHMI
Shivani is a true Californian, with a deep belief in the restorative powers of both the beach and the mountains. The daughter of Hyderabadi teachers, she was raised in the epicenter of entertainment and Mexican food that is Los Angeles. After graduating from high school she moved to Italy, where she learned that a cup of pistachio gelato can be just as soul-stirring as Michelangelo’s ‘Moses’. After returning stateside, Shivani graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in the spring of 2013 with a degree in Politics & Italian Literature. During her time in Santa Cruz she was alternately a research assistant for the chair of the Politics Department, and captain of the undefeated intramural dodgeball team. Both endeavors were fantastic forms of cardiovascular fitness.
Shivani has been classically trained in the South Indian art of Bharatanatyam for over 16 years, and has been a company dancer with The Rangoli Foundation for Art & Visual Culture since the age of ten. She has also worked for The United Nations High Commission for Refugees, as a founding member of their first office on the West Coast. In addition, she has been a volunteer Adult Literacy Tutor for the Los Angeles Public Libraries and a pizza delivery driver. In her spare time Shivani enjoys surfing, learning new languages (Hindi and Portuguese are on the dock for this year!), and yelling at the television during sports games.
Shivani is beyond thrilled be working with the other 2013 Fellows and especially the youth of Hyderabad. She hopes to mesh together her interests in human rights and education with her knowledge of South Indian culture to be a force for change. She also really wants to captain an undefeated cricket team.
Check out the stories of our previous fellows here & on the alumni page.
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