Mrs. Laura Bush Launches “Global Cultural Initiative” to Enhance U.S. Cultural Diplomacy

While the Department of State has a rich history of working with the cultural arts community in a project-specific context, the Global Cultural Initiative represents the first joining of forces by the public and private sectors for lasting institutional collaboration. The Department, through initial partnerships with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the American Film Institute (AFI), the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), will leverage a broad range of resources for a multi-faceted series of projects designed to:

•  Connect foreign audiences with American artists and art forms;
•  Share American expertise in arts management and performance; and
•  Educate young people and adults in the United States and abroad about the arts and cultures of other countries.

2) The American Film Institute Partnership - AFI PROJECT: 20/20: Through this international filmmaker and film exchange, The American Film Institute, the Department of State, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library will foster cross-cultural understanding, promote appreciation of shared values and diverse perspectives, and underscore the importance of free expression in the creative process. Through the AFI FEST in Los Angeles, international film festivals, as well as other venues in the United States and abroad, American and foreign filmmakers will share their films with each other’s audiences to encourage intercultural dialogue and engagement on universally shared issues and values.

3) The National Endowment for the Arts Partnership - International Literary Exchanges: Building upon the National Endowment for the Arts’ poetry anthology project with Mexico, the Department of State and the NEA will establish International Literary Exchanges, to establish literary translation projects and publications between the United States and Pakistan, Russia, Austria and other countries. The program will provide American readers access to literary works from abroad and foreign readers access to talented American writers and poets.

4) The National Endowment for the Humanities Partnership - Landmarks of American History and Culture: Under the National Endowment for the Humanities’ We the People program, launched by President Bush in 2002, the Department of State will promote deeper understanding of the United States and American democratic principles by welcoming international classroom teachers, educational leaders, and representatives of cultural and educational agencies to the one-week, NEH Landmarks Summer Institutes for K-12 teachers. Through lectures, small-group discussion, and experiential learning at historic sites, international participants will explore alongside teachers from throughout the United States the events and places that shaped American history, and will have an opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives with Americans.

Please direct media inquiries about this or other programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (http://exchanges.state.gov/) to Nicole Deaner, 202-203-7613, or Catherine Stearns, 202-203-5107.

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