art diplomacy

Museums across New York are waging a cultural war on prejudice in Donald Trump's America, flexing the soft power of art and photography to compound the city-wide climate of protest. From talks about Islamic art to a Muslim exhibition, swapping Picasso and Matisse for Iranian, Sudanese and Iraqi artists and extending a children's exhibition, museums have dreamt up multiple ways to promote art and education in the wake of Trump's short-lived travel ban.

The British Council in the Philippines and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) recently launched the ‘Art for Urban Change’ partnership. The tie-up  aims to contribute to more liveable and creative cities, and includes the creation of site-specific artworks on pumping stations found along Pasig River, a traveling art exhibition, and the creation of a public art advisory group.

City NYC, by Snapwire
February 21, 2017

Art and artists are under increasing threat from attacks and censorship.

Musical Instruments, by Maxpixel
February 17, 2017

The latest in cultural diplomacy news and events.

"My dance aims at pitting women against challenges that are often thought to be men's domain. It's a very physical and powerful way to break the stereotypes and empower women from all sections of the society," says Kay. She mostly works in collaboration with dancer-choreographer Ajeesh K Balakrishnan, who is also a Kalaripayattu exponent.

Welsh and Indian creative professionals will travel to each other's countries to work together and produce new works including books, music and dance. [...] It is a joint Wales Arts International and British Council scheme which aims to help build relationships between the two countries.

A number of American museums have added their voices to ongoing protests against the policies of the Trump administration, particularly its travel ban on refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Following the president’s executive order introducing the ban last month, which has since been ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge, a number of high profile US institutions issued statements condemning the measure.

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