Vanessa S. Troiano
PhD candidate in art history, CUNY Graduate Center
US teaching assistant (2008–09) and member of the Alum Advisory Panel (2025–27)

Bailey Fernandez
PhD student in the Design & Computation Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
US Fulbright combined grantee (2022–23) and member of the Fulbright Austria Alum Advisory Panel (2025–27)

Director Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger warmly welcomed our group into the ACFNY’s striking modernist edifice, where transparent glass architecture signals the institution’s ethos of intercultural dialogue. In her introduction, Dr. Keppler-Schlesinger highlighted the harmony between the missions of Fulbright Austria and the ACFNY and underscored the importance of international collaboration in times of turmoil. She set the perfect tone for our group’s experience of the ACFNY’s exhibition, Vally Wieselthier: Sculpting Modernism, the first institutional retrospective in the United States dedicated to the trailblazing Austrian-American artist Vally Wieselthier (1895–1945).

Dr. Stephanie Buhmann, the ACFNY’s head of visual art, architecture & design, shared curatorial insights while guiding our group through this richly layered survey of Wieselthier’s life and work. The Vienna-born artist was a leading figure of the Wiener Werkstätte (WW), an early twentieth-century collective committed to synthesizing art and life by dissolving boundaries between fine and applied arts. As head of the WW’s ceramics department, Wieselthier transformed clay into a medium of avant-garde expression, blending art and craft to create bold sculptural and functional designs. In 1928, she brought her vision to New York, forging a transatlantic cultural bridge between European modernism and American design as she expanded her career in the United States.

Dr. Buhmann showcased Wieselthier’s multifaceted life through a vast array of works and archival materials. For many in attendance, the artist’s story inspired reflection. Catherine Vieyra and Emily Vieyra-Haley, leaders of the New York City Alumni Chapter for the University of Graz, remarked that Wieselthier’s work “deserves a slow and careful viewing.” Buhmann’s presentation of the artist’s collection of rejection notices especially struck them. They said, “The fact that she saved these letters shows an amazing resilience, and maybe that she was inspired by these rejections. That the rejections may have sparked a determination is a lesson to us all.”

By tracing Wieselthier’s artistic trajectory and global legacy from her Austrian roots to her career in the United States, the ACFNY retrospective resonated deeply with the spirit of exchange that lies at the heart of our Fulbright Austria community. As Dr. Buhmann noted, “It was a great pleasure to welcome so many members of Fulbright Austria to the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, whose collective expertise, spanning the arts and sciences, added a wonderful perspective on our Vally Wieselthier survey.” We are truly grateful to Dr. Buhmann for her thoughtful guidance through this illuminating exhibition. We would also like to thank Dr. Megan Brandow-Faller, the Fulbright Austria alum and Vally Wieselthier scholar who sparked our partnership with the ACFNY.

Our group also appreciated the opportunity to connect with multiple generations of Austrian and US program participants at the event. William Slattery, a 2015–16 Fulbright Austria USTA, explained, “Going to the art exhibit at the Austrian Cultural Forum allowed me to not only learn more about the works of Vally Wieselthier, but also to network with a diverse group of like-minded people who enjoy Austrian culture.” Dr. Amy Carney, the 2024–25 Fulbright-ifk Senior Fellow in Cultural Studies, described how she enjoyed the “fun introduction to the Austrian Cultural Forum.” She said, “It was exciting to have the opportunity to see some of my Fulbright friends, and I enjoyed getting to meet others who are equally passionate about Austrian history.” Dr. Jennifer Weiser, the 2024–25 Fulbright-Graz University of Technology Visiting Professor, likewise found joy in engaging with the scholarly community, reflecting that “it was wonderful to reconnect with several of my cohort colleagues and equally rewarding to meet new faces within the Fulbright Austria community.”