Over 130 alums, partners, and friends from both sides of the Atlantic joined us for the return of Fulbright Austria’s annual SummerFest, where we commemorated Fulbright Austria having administered the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research’s (BMBWF) US Teaching Assistantship Program for the last 60 years. Together we celebrated and recognized the community's generosity and the impact Fulbright and US teaching assistant experiences have had on the lives of individuals and communities in Austria and the US.
The event was opened by Fulbright Austria’s executive director, Hermann Agis; Barbara Weitgruber and Teta Moehs, the chair and treasurer of the Austrian-American Educational Commission Board, respectively; Lothar Hofmann, president of the Austrian Fulbright Alumni association; Allison Gilmore, 2020–22 US teaching assistant (USTA); and Conor Bulkeley-Krane, experimental music composer and 2021–22 US combined grantee. Fulbright Austria also had the honor of welcoming representatives of the Austrian Exchange Service (OeAD), the BMBWF, and MuseumsQuartier Wien to the event.
Following the opening in Arena21, members of the community enjoyed a reception and raffle in the Ovalhalle. More than 30 raffle items donated by our diverse community members enhanced our core fundraising activities. Special thanks go out to our raffle donors for the gifts and vouchers they provided:
- 1x NFT music composition, Neither here nor there, by and from C. Bulkeley-Krane
- 1x in-person gallery talk at the Museum moderner Kunst from A. Matthews
- 1x museum tour in English with M. Spreckelsen at and from the Museum der Moderne Salzburg
- 1x dinner with H. Agis and his family
- 1x dinner with M.-R. Kecht
- 1x annual ticket to the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien from M.-R. Kecht
- 3x annual member fees for the Austrian Fulbright Alumni association from L. Hofmann
- 1x Tickets to the Volkstheater from L. Hofmann
- 1x ultimate picnic adventure from E. Kunze
- 1x gift certificate for Viennese Mühlbauer hat from M. Sims
- 7x LGT Bank Austria surprise packages
- 1x gift certificate bundle for ÖBB, Albertina, and Albertina Modern from R. Burns
- 1x gift certificate for the Musikverein Wien from R. Burns
- 1x gift certificate bundle for ÖBB, Hermesvilla, Römermuseum, and Johann Strauss’s apartment from R. Bruns
- 2x book entitled My Song to Sing by A. Brock
- 1x book entitled Der Wiener Alltagspoet fährt U6 by A. Rainer
- 1x book entitled Auf Wiedersehen, Kinder! by L. Maier
- 1x tickets to the Akademietheater from A. Steinbichler
- 5x USTA surprise gift bags from Fulbright Austria staff
Fulbright Austria captured the excitement and energy of the evening with a video on YouTube and a photo album on Facebook.
We would also like to thank everyone for their incredible support and for advocating on behalf of Fulbright Austria. Thanks to our community’s generosity, we raised more than €4,900 for future Fulbrighters.
If you too would like to help us continue faciltating meaningful experiences, please use the button below. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s SummerFest!