Browsing by Subject "Cultural diplomacy"
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Item A closer look at art abroad : a study of the Terra Foundation for American Art’s educational programming for international audiences(2020-08-13) Chestnut, Sarah Alynne; Bain, ChristinaThis case study explores the educational offerings intended for international audiences through the work of the Terra Foundation for American Art. Founded by wealthy Chicago businessman, art collector, and U.S. Ambassador at Large for Cultural Affairs Daniel J. Terra in 1978, the Terra Foundation has paved the way for scholarly investigation and appreciation of historical art of the United States on a global scale. The foundation’s art collection was once displayed among several dedicated art museums spanning two continents (in the United States and France), however at the turn of the millennium, the foundation pivoted to a “museum without walls” model and now facilitates the exhibition of their artwork by collaborating with museums around the world. Through a combination of historical research, site observations in both Chicago and Paris, and interviews with key staff members on both continents, this study provides a greater holistic understanding of the challenges and motivations at play for all sectors engaged in international cultural exchange. This qualitative research study reveals implications for art and museum educators, as well as stakeholders invested in international cultural exchange and diplomacy, which point to a need for greater awareness of the dialogues and narratives around historical American art and culture unfolding outside the United States. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations are made for practitioners that address issues of language, audience, and cultural assumptionsItem Artful education : the role of Art in Embassies in 21st century diplomacy(2012-05) Wilson, Kathryn Elizabeth; Bolin, Paul Erik, 1954-; Ostrower, FrancieThis case study focuses on the current purpose of the Art in Embassies (AIE) program that is run by the U.S. Department of State. More specifically, it examines how the temporary exhibition of art placed in Reykjavik, Iceland by AIE aids in fulfilling that purpose. I sought to determine how the U.S. Embassy in Iceland uses the exhibition and accompanying catalogue produced by Art in Embassies to educate visitors about American culture and aid in the embassy's cultural diplomacy efforts. I accomplished this by conducting interviews with the ambassador and Public Affairs staff in Reykjavik, members of the AIE staff, artists whose work was included in the exhibition, and Icelanders who had the opportunity to view the art in the ambassador's residence. My goal in researching this topic was to contribute to our understanding of the role visual art can play in cultural diplomacy. Initially, it was unclear to me how education factors into Art in Embassies, given that access to the art is limited. It is now my belief that there are certain posts around the world that are working to utilize their AIE exhibition to its fullest potential, and they should be commended for their efforts. However, much more needs to be done to encourage all ambassadors to use art as a tool for diplomacy. The lack of current research on Art in Embassies was a chief motivator for conducting this study. In recent years, the number of people researching the field of cultural diplomacy and writing on why the U.S. government should better engage in it has steadily increased (Cummings, 2003; Hurlburt & Ivey, n.d.; Sablosky, 2003; Schneider, 2002/2009). Despite this fact, little has been done to address this issue. As a well-established government program focused on art and culture, Art in Embassies is uniquely positioned to engage audiences around the world by harnessing the power of art to foster goodwill and mutual understanding.Item Funding footprints : U.S. State Department sponsorship of international dance tours, 1962-2009(2010-05) Croft, Clare Holloway; Canning, Charlotte, 1964-; Dolan, Jill, 1957-; Paredez, Deborah; Kackman, Michael; Foster, SusanSince the middle of the twentieth century, American dance artists have presented complicated images of American identity to world audiences, as dance companies traveled abroad under the auspices of the US State Department. This dissertation uses oral history interviews, archival research, and performance analysis to investigate how dancers navigated their status as official American ambassadors in the Cold War and the years following the 2001 terrorist attacks in the US. Dance companies worked and performed in international sites, enacting messages of American democratic superiority, while individual dancers re-interpreted the contours of American identity through personal encounters with local artists and arts practices. The dancers’ memories of government-sponsored tours re-insert the American artist into American diplomatic history, prompting a reconsideration of dancers not just as diplomatic tools working to persuade global audiences, but as creative thinkers re-imagining what it means to be American. This dissertation begins in the late 1950s, as the State Department began discussing appropriate dance companies to send to the Soviet Union, as part of the performing arts initiatives that began in 1954 under the direction of President Dwight Eisenhower. The dissertation concludes by examining more recent dance in diplomacy programs initiated in 2003, coinciding with the US invasion of Iraq. My analysis considers New York City Ballet’s 1962 tour of the Soviet Union, where the company performed programs that included George Balanchine’s Serenade (1934), Agon (1957), and Western Symphony (1954), and Jerome Robbins’ Interplay (1945) during the heightened global anxieties of the Cuban Missile Crisis. My analysis of Ailey’s 1967 tour of nine African countries focuses primarily on Revelations (1960), which closed every program on the tour. Moving into the twenty-first century, I analyze A Slipping Glimpse (2007), a collaboration between Margaret Jenkins Dance Company and Tansuree Shankar Dance Company, which began as a US State Department-sponsored 2003 residency in Kolkata. To explore each tour, I consider government goals documented in archived minutes from artist selection panels; dancers’ memories of the tours, which I collected in personal interviews conducted between 2007 and 2009; and performance analysis of the pieces that traveled on each tour.Item Mexican art exhibitions in New York as cultural diplomacy, 1928-1932(2016-05) Rendon, Darcy; Butler, Matthew (Matthew John Blakemore); Garfield, Seth WIn the aftermath of the 1910 Mexican Revolution, the postrevolutionary state launched an innovative campaign that exported the country’s emerging art and culture, which glorified its indigenous roots. The strategy of expanding its nation-building project abroad helped remake its image and radically improved U.S.-Mexican relations. This project investigates the first standalone exhibitions of Mexican modern and popular arts in the U.S.—the Art Center’s 1928 Exhibition of Mexican Art and the American Federation of Arts’ 1930-32 “Mexican Arts”—as cultural diplomatic efforts. Using empirical evidence, this project reveals the confluence of wealthy patrons, corporate sponsors, government officials, local artists, and museums and galleries in Mexico and the U.S. that made these exhibitions, both debuting in New York, possible. It argues that the success of the exhibitions, measured in public and critical reception, relied on the vision of Mexico curators offered and the access organizers had to established museum circulation networks.Item "Russian world" : Russia's cultural diplomacy programs in Europe(2018-05-07) Terry, Jessica Lynn; Suri, Jeremi; Hutchings, RobertIn recent In recent years, Russia has been increasingly active in international affairs, reasserting itself as a major player in world politics. In the realm of soft power initiatives, Russian foreign policy has also seen a renewal of efforts. Russia’s foreign policy concepts in 2013 and 2016 defined a comprehensive soft power strategy, including the expansion of public diplomacy programs abroad. In particular, Russia has invested significant resources into the development of their cultural initiatives. This research explores the activities of the primary Russian actor in cultural diplomacy abroad, the Russkiy Mir Foundation, focusing on comparative case studies of countries in Western and Eastern Europe – Germany and Ukraine. The paper seeks to answer the questions: what are the goals of the Russkiy Mir Foundation in these regions and countries? Do their activities and goals differ in the West and the East? What relevance do these activities have in the wider scope of Russian foreign policy? This research finds primarily that cultural diplomacy programming does vary between Russia’s programs in Western and Eastern Europe – in the West, Russian programs are a hybridization of traditional Soviet cultural diplomacy and modern Western practices, while in Eastern and post-Soviet spaces, Russian methods show much more continuity with the Soviet era of cultural diplomacy. The role of active measures plays a continuing role in Russian cultural policies in both the West and the East.Item A study of the U. S. diplomatic library in Mexico City(2013-05) Waelder, Lauren Ann; Doty, PhilipA Study of the U. S. Diplomatic Library In Mexico City by Lauren Ann Waelder, M. S. in Information Studies The University of Texas at Austin, 2013 SUPERVISOR: Philip Doty This paper addresses the topic of diplomatic libraries. It opens with a section covering the topic in general, but then focuses on the specific scope of the paper. It focuses on the circumstances associated with the library in Mexico City that goes with the U. S. Embassy to Mexico. That library is the Benjamin Franklin Library, established in 1942 and named after the person from the early United States history. It attempts to provide an overview of the library, as well as theoretical framework surrounding diplomatic libraries and cultural relations in the United States. The paper accomplishes these goals in two ways. First, it performs a review of relevant literature, both old and new, on the topic. This literature review also analyzes the gap in information between the older and more recent sources, focusing on a difference between the older works’ historical base and the newer works’ practical experience. Second, it also incorporates original research through an actual visit to the library in Mexico City. The paper goes on to discuss the two research questions and thirteen other questions that a process of interviews with three different groups of Ben Franklin Library librarians was able to answer. Finally, the paper wraps up both the literature review and the research notes through a discussion of the interaction between the two sections and how they both contribute to the paper as a whole and to an active readership. The discussion of these issues includes references to items in either form, but it transcends actual commentary on the contents of the relevant literature, focusing instead on its larger implications for the topic. It also touches briefly on a few of the ways future research could continue to enhance this field. Finally, a conclusion leaves the reader with a few comments that explain how an article of this nature provides its audience with an expansion of knowledge about the topic of diplomatic libraries and about the Benjamin Franklin Library in particular. This combination of information should allow other readers to form more educated opinions of diplomatic libraries and their place in society.