Developing the Domestic Bond in Cultural Exchange

Tuesday, October 20, 10:00am – 11:30am

Organized by Michael Orlove, Director of Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, Artist Communities and International Activities, National Endowment for the Arts.

Moderated by Jeff Leitner, Founder, Greenhouse and Innovator in Residence, University of Southern California School of Social Work. Presented by Elena Park, CEO, Lumahai Productions and Supervising Producer, Metropolitan Opera Live in HD; Lena Slachmuijlder, Vice President of Programs, Search for Common Ground; and Xiaowei R. Wang, artist, American Arts Incubator, Mongolia 2015.

Cultural exchanges deepen understanding across cultures and create ties between US artists, communities, and counterparts abroad. They contribute to artists’ creative developments by providing opportunities for the exchange of ideas and practices with their colleagues in other countries, and help to sustain their careers through exposure to new audiences. In order to continue and strengthen cultural exchange, this session gathers professionals throughout the field who represent diverse perspectives to find creative approaches to grantmaking opportunities within the international arena. The goal is to identify and document successful programs, recognize funders who have a vested interest in continuing international work, and discuss innovative plans to promote cultural exchanges both for American artists abroad as well as international artists in the US. Offering stimulating discussion, challenging conventional thinking, and presenting different points of view can garner new ideas and prospects for both philanthropy constituents as well as working artists throughout the country.