Tiffany Bourgeois, assistant professor, Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded a 2025-2026 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Brazil to research “The Olympic Legacy of Rio 2016: Championing the Intangible and Cultural Impact.”
From July 2025 – June 2026, Bourgeois will implement a case study of Rio 2016 Summer Olympics cultural sites and experiences Porto Maravilha, Mural das Etnias and Tokyo Carvan as exercises in cultural diplomacy. She will investigate intangible and cultural legacies associated with these sites and experiences and relate the outcomes to public value. Bourgeois will be affiliated with Fundação Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This Fulbright FLEX project addresses the limited existing discussion of the cultural programming of Olympics as exercises in cultural diplomacy and legacy in the arts management, diplomacy and sport studies fields by expanding the perspectives on impact to include cultural and intangible categories.
“My Fulbright project will fill this gap by framing the cultural programming as exercises in cultural diplomacy, identifying potential cultural and intangible outcomes and investigating relationship between these outcomes and public value. Future Olympic organizing committees, elected officials, administrators, organizations and artists can use this research to better prepare and implement the cultural programming of the Olympics,” said Bourgeois.
Bourgeois hopes this project will build on the strong relationship that already exists between Brazil and Ohio State. Established in 2014, the Brazil Gateway connects Ohio State faculty, staff and students with diverse Brazilian partners to explore collaborative opportunities.
“My project will work toward nurturing a strong partnership between Fundação Getulio Vargas, my colleagues in the Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy and the Ohio State. As one component of this partnership, I plan to work toward developing exchange opportunities for graduate students and faculty in our respective research settings at both universities. The proposed project will not only highlight intangible and cultural legacies, it will investigate opportunities for future collaborations,” noted Bourgeois.
Fulbright
The Fulbright Scholar Program is administered by the Institute of International Education and is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
For more information about the Fulbright Scholar Program contact Joanna Kukielka-Blaser. View a complete list of Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program recipients.