Alyx Bontrager earned a master’s degree in cultural anthropology and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, with minors in art history and studio art, from the University of Georgia.

Supported by the Fulbright US Student Program, her current project draws on each discipline by exploring local impacts and perceptions of tourism through the public artworks of Balinese artists. Working alongside political historians at Universitas Udayana in Bali, she examines local concerns about overtourism, including overcrowding, pollution, rising costs of living, and desacralization, as reflected in murals, graffiti, open exhibitions, gallery shows, and other publicly accessible art forms.

Alyx also interviews and collaborates with Balinese artists to better understand the motifs and themes they use to address tourism and its impact. Through this project, she hopes to promote more sustainable and respectful tourism practices that benefit both visitors and the Balinese community.