“This award is a testament to Kannetha’s exceptional artistic vision and commitment to meaningful cultural exchange,” said Dr. Mary K. Grant, President of MassArt. “Her work engages deeply with questions of history, memory, and identity, and we are so proud that she will represent MassArt through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.”

Kannetha will complete nine months of intensive fieldwork in Cambodia for her project, My Sisters Sleep in Battambang. Centered in the district of Moung Ruessei and the wider Battambang province, the project serves as a homecoming for a rare collection of personal family photographs that miraculously survived the Khmer Rouge genocide. Her mother found these images amidst the rubble of her childhood home after the war, and also include a Khmer Rouge surveillance photo of her late sister.

The project grapples with the painful legacy of this era, during which the Khmer Rouge created mass gravesites that remain unmarked, leaving families with only general coordinates of their loved ones. Last year, Kannetha began working with local monks to track these locations, seeking the landscapes where her family may rest. She seeks to reunite the only physical fragments of her family with the earth through “spirit flags,” family portraits printed onto translucent fabric that will be installed across various locations where her ancestors are believed to be buried. This process honors their living presence in the landscape, and addresses a deep sense of longing within the Cambodian diaspora.

For more information about Fulbright and the application process at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, please contact the Fulbright Program Adviser at international@massart.edu.

ABOUT THE FULBRIGHT U.S. STUDENT PROGRAM

Close to 2,000 Fulbright U.S. Students—recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals—pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English in schools abroad each year. 

They are recognized alongside faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals who teach or conduct research in affiliation with institutes abroad annually through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. 

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 as a bold investment in global peace and American prosperity through educational and cultural exchange. The Fulbright Program is marking its 80th anniversary in 2026, which coincides with America’s 250th anniversary celebration. This dual milestone provides an unprecedented opportunity to showcase the Fulbright Program’s role in America’s legacy of leadership, innovation, international collaboration, and American excellence. 

Fulbright provides opportunities for exceptional Americans and participants from 160 countries and locations to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. For eight decades, Fulbrighters have been leaders at the forefront of discovery and innovation, conducting cutting edge research, advancing critical industries, and preparing future generations with new skills and perspectives. Fulbrighters have included 46 heads of state or government, 63 Nobel Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, 83 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders in all sectors and industries across the United States and around the world. 

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.

In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.  For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org. 

The award competition for 2027-2028 Fulbright U.S. Student Awards opened on March 31, 2026. Learn more about Fulbright U.S. Student awards and eligibility.  

ABOUT KANNETHA BROWN

Working between Providence, Rhode Island and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Kannetha កន្និថា Brown is a Khmer Kat (mixed) artist whose lens-based work explores lineage and memory through family, community, and landscape. As the daughter of a Khmer Rouge Genocide survivor, she navigates the space where historical rupture meets intergenerational way-finding, a practice catalyzed by a surveillance photograph of her maternal aunt. A BFA honors graduate from MassArt, her work has been featured in The New York Times and Rolling Stone, with support from the Artist Community Alliance, the Interlace Grant Fund, and the Rhode Island Foundation.

ABOUT MASSART

Founded in 1873, Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) is the nation’s first public, independent college of art and design. The College is dedicated to fostering the creativity of artists, designers, and educators who will shape communities and culture for the common good.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

MassArt Press Contact:
Temple Gill, Interim Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, tgill@massart.edu

Fulbright Program Press Contact:
Fulbright.Press@iie.org