International Cultural Exchange, Mobility, and the Future of U.S. Civil Society

Monday, October 14, 3:40pm – 5:00pm

Organized by Barbara Lanciers, director, Trust for Mutual Understanding; and Michelle Coffey, executive director, Lambent Foundation.

Presented by Sunny Jain, composer/drummer, Red Baraat, Smithsonian Folkways Recording Artist; Matthew Covey, director, Tamizdat; and Emily Johnson, choreographer/director, Catalyst.

Join grantmakers, arts practitioners, and advocates for a timely conversation about the collapse of support for and the overall devaluing of international cultural exchange. The international movement of artists and sharing of ideas is vital for a healthy and progressive global civil society. Current political and social trends increasingly create legal and economic barriers that inhibit and sometimes prohibit engagement between artists across borders. This session will examine the chilling effects of xenophobia, nationalism, and authoritarianism on international mobility and cultural exchange in the U.S. Attendees will explore practical advocacy to counter this trend while standing in solidarity alongside cultural workers and outlining survival strategies we can adopt in the meantime.

Download the .pdf document of key takeaways from this session.