Dr. Penelope Orr earns second prestigious Fulbright Award

Furman University studio art alumna Penelope Orr ’90, clinical coordinator of Edinboro University’s nationally acclaimed art therapy program, has received a Fulbright Award to launch a corresponding graduate-level program in India – the country’s first.

Orr, who served a critical role in creating the Master of Arts in Counseling – Art Therapy program at Edinboro (soon to be known as Pennsylvania Western University), earned the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship to establish the program at MIT Art, Design & Technology University in Pune, Maharashtra.

“No graduate programs in art therapy currently exist in India, and it is often impossible for people in India to afford a U.S. or UK education,” Orr said in an article appearing on TalkErie.com. As part of her Fulbright Scholar experience, Orr will visit India during spring and summer 2023 to conduct faculty training workshops, present to students and help the university transition the program to a fully autonomous one.

“Cultivating an international dialogue in art therapy helps us to better serve our clients and expands access to the field of art therapy and mental health care,” said Orr, who received her first Fulbright Award in 2015 to teach classes and conduct research in London. “The opportunity to assist in the development of the first art therapy master’s degree in India is a final goal in this lifelong mission,” she added.