Eilean Shona, Scotland – Shauna Finn

As a teaching artist, I count on the summer months to reinvigorate my painting practice, and travel is a great way to find new inspiration. This year, I returned to Eilean Shona, a beautiful place that James and I discovered two summers ago when the LREI travel grant...

Elaine Chu: To Russia, With Love

This summer I returned to St. Petersburg, Russia, where I lived and traveled to regularly in the years between 1987 and 1997, first as a student, and subsequently for my work with the Soros Foundations. The last time I was there was about 13 years ago. Having a child...

Michelle Boehm: Fire and Ice

 I had the wonderful opportunity, through receiving one of this summer’s travel grants, to travel to Iceland this past August. Did you know that there are 30 active volcanoes in Iceland and that there are earthquakes everyday? One of the locals shared that volcanic...