Standing just a couple of blocks from the U.S. Capitol, a group of Peruvian highlanders hold a traditional blessing ceremony, performed since before Columbus discovered the New World and re-created at the national mall last Friday for the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

After World War II, musician and composer Clotilde Arias, an immigrant from Peru living in New York City, was commissioned by the U.S. State Department to write a translation that could be sung to the tune of the "Star-Spangled Banner."

The worlds of diplomacy and science and technology, of government-to-government relations and people to people exchanges, are more intertwined and interdependent than ever. By working together, we can expand our horizons by sharing resources, networks, people and program content.

The State Department’s Art in Embassies program...is one of the premier public-private partnership arts organizations in continuous operation in 180 countries worldwide...It plays an important role in U.S. public diplomacy through a culturally expansive mission that creates temporary exhibits and permanent collections, artist and cultural exchange programming, and publications, they added.

The American-Russian Cultural Co-operation Foundation was established in 1992. Since then, the annual award is presented to those who commit themselves to encouraging Russian-American cultural exchange and co-operation.

The Smithsonian has announced that in 2012 it will display the exhibition: The Art of Video Games. The exhibit will no doubt delve deep into the history of video games, their 40-year evolution, and use of new technologies to produce such detailed visual effects.

APDS Blogger: Mariana González Insua