MFA Visual Narrative student Rosa Chang was selected as a semi-finalist for the Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship, a highly competitive, fully-funded fellowship program that provides opportunities for U.S. citizens to participate in an academic year of overseas travel and storytelling in one, two or three countries on a globally significant theme. Chang proposed studying indigo farming in Japan, with plans to bring what she learned back to her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, to start her own community indigo farm there.
From the Fulbright website: “The wide variety of new digital media tools and platforms has created an unprecedented opportunity for people from all disciplines and backgrounds to share observations and personal narratives with global audiences online. These storytelling tools are powerful resources as we seek to expand our knowledge of pressing global issues and build ties across cultures.”
For her current thesis project, Chang is working on The Weeping Tree Story, a mixed-media picture book that is influenced by the Japanese philosophy of mottainai (not wasting). “I've been collecting all sorts of found objects from daily life, including dried foliages, branches, bottle caps, plastic buttons, cardboard boxes and so on,” she said. “One of my favorite items to collect is fabric scraps from a natural indigo dye studio that I have been working at for the past year. I am interested in these objects because of their versatility. Those little items that are neglected by people, or considered waste or forgotten knick-knacks, can add important visual elements to the storytelling that I want to explore.”
For more information about Chang and to see more of her work, click here. For more information about the Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship, click here.