CPD Director on Making the Case for Cultural Exchanges

The arts are a unique medium for expression and for critical inquiry, with the proven power to strengthen communication, understanding, and respect between communities and across cultures.  On June 14, 2017, CPD director, Jay Wang, served as a panelist at the Asian Cultural Council’s three-day program, “Making the Case for Cultural Exchange” held at New York University. Noted theatre director, Peter Sellars, provided the opening keynote and panel discussions were accompanied by musical and dance performances.

The panel examined contemporary challenges and new urgencies in cultural exchanges. Other panelists included: Paige Cottingham-Streater, Executive Director, Japan-US Friendship Commission; Zeyba Rahman, Senior Program Officer, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art; and Sir Jonathan Mills, Director, Edinburgh International Culture Summit. The panel was moderated by Tom Finkelpearl, Commissioner, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.

The Forum was co-sponsored by the John Brademas Center of New York University. Scholars, practitioners, and funders convened together, with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, to engage in dialogue on the importance of renewing and extending opportunities for American artists and cultural professionals to engage internationally, and to consider lessons from the past, best practices, and present day arguments for a fresh, international cultural mandate.

Event photos courtesy of the Asian Cultural Council