International Partnership Initiative

Art in Context: Taiwan

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On February 23, 2017, IA&A hosted Art in Context: Taiwan, a discussion on the social and political conditions affecting artists and cultural organizations in contemporary Taiwan. The event was held at IA&A’s Hillyer Art Space during Taiwan-based artist Pin-Chieh Tseng’s solo exhibition, Soliloquize. 

The conversation, which was moderated by Sarah Tanguy, a curator with the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies program, featured voices from the art, policy, and academic worlds, including Pin-Chieh Tseng, an emerging visual and installation artist from Taiwan, Jack Yeh-Chin Kuei, the Director of Taiwan Academy at the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S. (TECRO), and Dr. Ying-Chen Peng, an associate professor of art history at American University. Over the course of the discussion, panelists touched on issues such as the role of government patronage in the arts, gender, the creative economy in Taiwan, and the changing perceptions and representations of Taiwan on regional and global stages. Notably, Peng and Kuei highlighted the impact of Taiwan’s long history of colonization on shifting notions of cultural authenticity and identity on the island. In tandem with these political changes, art forms such as impressionism or traditional ink painting gained or lost prominence depending on the policies of ruling powers. Turning their attention to the contemporary conditions influencing art production, the panelists compared models of institutional support for the arts in the U.S. and in Taiwan.

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A project of IA&A’s Cultural Exchange Programs, the International Partnership Initiative champions international work between American arts institutions and their counterparts abroad by creating a forum for discussion and discovery among leaders in the artistic, academic, diplomatic, and policy communities. The Initiative’s research and programming facilitates cross-cultural understanding and builds stronger ties through global partnerships in the arts.

Art in Context: Ireland

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On June 8, 2016, IA&A was privileged to host a panel discussion at IA&A’s Hillyer Art Space that explored perspectives on the role of the arts in shaping Irish cultural identity. Moderated by Allison Nance, Director of IA&A’s Hillyer Art Space, panelists included Claire Fitzgibbon, Consular & Cultural Affairs Counsellor at the Embassy of Ireland, Norman Houston, Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau, Jackie Hoysted, Curator and Visual Arts Director at Solas Nua, and Matt Torney, Associate Artistic Director at Studio Theatre.

As suggested by Fitzgibbon, Irish identity is fluid and increasingly complex. The panelists addressed the burgeoning importance of Irish identity within a broader European context, particularly as it relates to work on contemporary issues many artists are producing. Fitzgibbon and Houston highlighted their commitment to the arts despite tight budgets and competing priorities. The panelists also discussed the financial struggles that Irish artists face. Hoysted and Torney also spoke to the economic barriers that Irish artists must overcome due in part to cuts in government funding. They cited this as a catalyst for artists to create work that articulates the difficulties and societal issues that they face using humor, grit, and honesty.

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A project of IA&A’s Cultural Exchange Programs, the International Partnership Initiative champions international work between American arts institutions and their counterparts abroad by creating a forum for discussion and discovery among leaders in the artistic, academic, diplomatic, and policy communities. The Initiative’s research and programming facilitates cross-cultural understanding and builds stronger ties through global partnerships in the arts.

Art in Context: Iran

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On April 8, 2016, IA&A was honored to host a panel discussion with Barbara Slavin, Acting Director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council, and Sara Namjoo, an Iranian illustrator and animator, at IA&A’s Hillyer Art Space.

Art in Context: Iran wove the arts and foreign policy sectors together to discuss concrete experiences of life in Iran and societal evolution over recent decades. Through descriptions of Iran pre-Revolution and post-Revolution, Slavin and Namjoo emphasized the contrast between the grayness of a post-revolution childhood and the rich colors and designs in Tehran. In addition to comments on their personal experiences, the panelists dismantled myths about Iranian society and culture, particularly in regards to women, who currently enjoy a variety of career opportunities and influential positions. The discussion also touched on the Iran Nuclear Deal, which recently lifted decades of oil and financial sanctions. The panelists spoke to the importance of the deal, which was intended to re-open Iran to the global economy and allow new channels of international collaboration. In particular, panelists considered how increased collaboration through the arts can offer non-political means of establishing bonds between nations.

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A project of IA&A’s Cultural Exchange Programs, the International Partnership Initiative champions international work between American arts institutions and their counterparts abroad by creating a forum for discussion and discovery among leaders in the artistic, academic, diplomatic, and policy communities. The Initiative’s research and programming facilitates cross-cultural understanding and builds stronger ties through global partnerships in the arts.

Art in Context: Pakistan

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On November 18, 2015, IA&A hosted its first Art in Context panel discussion at IA&A’s Hillyer Art Space, which featured a discussion with Saamia Ahmed, Curator and Professor at the National College of Arts in Lahore, Melanie Bixby, Executive Director of the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council, and Shaista Khilji, Professor at The George Washington University. The conversation was moderated by Wajahat Ali, Creative Director of Affinislabs.

Art in Context: Pakistan explored the impact of current cultural shifts within Pakistani arts and society. The panelists discussed contemporary influences on Pakistani culture, the implications of empowering formerly marginalized citizens, as well as what action is needed from future leaders. They recognized how women, artists, and millennials throughout Pakistan are leading groundbreaking initiatives to establish a more equal, creative society and to counterbalance the negative perceptions of Pakistan abroad. Together with Pakistani leaders, international partners from the public and private sectors are supporting cultural and economic initiatives, ranging from promotion of the arts to women’s entrepreneurship training. Commitments to the arts and to gender equity have resulted in a change in thinking among men and women who seek to engage all Pakistanis, regardless of gender or circumstance. At the discussion’s close, those in attendance acknowledged the important role that these dialogues play in expanding perspectives of the role of the arts in the international arena.

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A project of IA&A’s Cultural Exchange Programs, the International Partnership Initiative champions international work between American arts institutions and their counterparts abroad by creating a forum for discussion and discovery among leaders in the artistic, academic, diplomatic, and policy communities. The Initiative’s research and programming facilitates cross-cultural understanding and builds stronger ties through global partnerships in the arts.