Andrea Bergart '06 wins Fulbright to work in Africa

Andrea Bergart '06 has received a Fulbright Scholarship to study and teach in Ghana, Africa, in the 2008?09 school year. Bergart is one of only 120 students nationwide selected as student-ambassadors in one of 26 African countries, and the first painting student selected in more than 10 years.

"I want to go to Ghana!" were Bergart's first words after being introduced to Ghana by teacher Charlene Twente in second grade. She would go on to realize that ambition.

	Andrea Bergart '06, left, at work in Ghana

Starting in preschool, Bergart was fascinated by beads. That interest stayed with her over the years and influenced her decision to major in art at Skidmore, where earned numerous art awards, played volleyball and ultimate Frisbee, and graduated with honors. She is currently pursuing her master's degree in fine arts at Boston University.

As a junior, Bergart studied art for a semester in Ghana, becoming proficient in Twi, a native language. She gained a great respect for the bead culture of Krobo-Odumase and began to incorporate Ghanaian culture into her painting.

Bergart's Fulbright project will consist of three parts in two locations. First she will study the traditional artwork of the Ashanti of Kumasi, including Kente cloth and Adinkra cloth, and contrast the native traditional craft with that of contemporary independent sign artists of the city. Next she will move to Eastern Ghana to study with the Ga-Adangme of Krobo, a center for bead production and trade. She will paint about the traditional bead culture and rites of passage that take place in this region. The third aspect of her project will be to develop an art curriculum for the students of Krobo.

For the teaching effort, Bergart has secured donations of art supplies from several Boston companies and seeks additional support and donations before leaving for Africa. The students at the AIDS-orphan school in Krobo are very excited about the opportunity to take art classes for the first time, and she is excited about the opportunity to apply the teaching skills she developed as a graduate student.

Bergart will attend the Fulbright Convention in Washington, D.C., in June, and she will leave for Ghana in September. A sample of Bergart's art can be viewed here; she can be reached at drebergart@gmail.com.