Doctoral student T.J. Dedeaux-Norris, pursuing a degree in MIU’s EdD program in Education in Transformational Leadership and Coaching, was recently awarded the Rome Prize, one of the world’s most distinguished fellowship programs.

Established in 1921, the Rome Prize is granted by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy, a leading American overseas center for independent studies and advanced research in the fine arts and humanities. Each year the academy selects about thirty innovative American artists, writers, and scholars to study there.

This year there were 990 applicants for the 35 total prizes awarded.

Dedeaux-Norris began the fellowship in September and will be in Rome through next June. The formal title of the fellowship Dedeaux-Norris received is the Jules Guerin | John Armstrong Chaloner Rome Prize Fellow in Visual Arts (2025–2026) at the American Academy in Rome.

This fellowship work will be part of Dedeaux-Norris’s doctoral and dissertation research at MIU.

Dedeaux-Norris is also a tenured associate professor and area head in the University of Iowa’s Department of Painting and Drawing, within the School of Art, Art History, and Design. Dedeaux-Norris came to the University of Iowa after receiving a Master of Fine Arts at Yale University as a Grant Wood Art Fellow in 2016.

What does it feel like to have won this esteemed prize?

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a community of esteemed artists and scholars from around the world that comes at a critical juncture. It’s a chance to step outside the sociopolitical climate of the United States — and the Midwest in particular — and reflect more deeply on my role as an artistic citizen.

What has it been like to live in Rome on this fellowship these past few months so far?

It’s truly been an incredible experience living and working in Rome. Every day at the American Academy feels like stepping into a conversation between art, history, and spirit. I’m profoundly grateful for this opportunity.

Tell us more about your project.

My project here, An Emergence in Rome, is both an artistic and educational investigation that directly connects to my doctoral research in the Education in Transformational Leadership and Coaching program at Maharishi International University.

I’m exploring how creative autoethnography and coaching tools can foster authentic leadership and well-being among artists and academics. One of the ways this is manifesting is through a multimedia memoir that has evolved into a podcast, The Emergence Room, where I interview artists, scholars, and thinkers to examine our collective “emergent arcs” of growth and transformation.

My time in Rome has deepened my study of early Christian martyrs like Saints Perpetua and Felicity, who serve as powerful metaphors for conviction, becoming, and self-actualization — central themes in both my art and my research.

What drew you to MIU’s doctoral program in Education in Transformational Leadership and Coaching?

Enrolling in MIU’s program was a response to a personal and professional desire to lead more authentically — integrating my lived experience, artistic practice, and sense of purpose. The program’s Consciousness-Based approach, including Transcendental Meditation and the Science of Creative Intelligence, has profoundly grounded me.

I was particularly drawn to Dr. Mike Zwell, who, like me, is a Yale alumnus. His vision for how transformational leadership can reshape education immediately resonated with me and was a major reason I chose MIU.

“I was particularly drawn to Dr. Mike Zwell, who, like me, is a Yale alumnus. His vision for how transformational leadership can reshape education immediately resonated with me and was a major reason I chose MIU.”

— T.J. Dedeaux-Norris

I’m also deeply grateful to Professor Vicki Alexander Herriott for her mentorship and guidance. In a wonderful synchronicity, I recently discovered that she is the cousin of one of my most influential undergraduate mentors at UCLA — Andrea Fraser, who is also currently a Fellow here at the American Academy in Rome. It feels like an extraordinary blessing to be supported by two brilliant scholars and mentors, each of whom has played such an important role in my academic, artistic, and transformational journey.

I’m continually inspired by my diverse, supportive cohort of fellow students and by our EQ Lab (Emotional Intelligence Lab), where we practice holding space for one another and cultivating authentic presence as leaders.

How has your Transcendental Meditation practice benefited you and your work?

TM has helped me navigate the pressures of competitive academic and artistic environments with greater calm, presence, and clarity. My partner and creative collaborator, Jason Šimánek, who is also currently enrolled in the Low-Residency MFA in Visual Arts program at MIU, and I learned TM together. Sharing this practice has been a meaningful addition to both our creative and spiritual lives, enriching our collaboration and overall sense of balance.

Where do you see things going from here?

Ultimately, my goal is to use the tools and insights gained from this program to design coaching-based, creativity-centered curricula that support artists and educators at all stages of life — helping them cultivate authenticity, resilience, and purpose.

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Banner photograph by Jason Šimánek. American Academy of Rome photo 1, Architectural Digest; photo 2 by CenozoicEra, public domain.