Arts Diplomacy Network’s understanding of international arts engagement is broad. We define arts diplomacy as the facilitation of the exchange of artistic ideas, values, and traditions whether they promote national interests, build relationships or enhance socio-cultural understanding. We live in an increasingly interdependent world in which non-state actors, including supranational and subnational players, often exceed nation-states’ levels of cultural influence. We are interested in a wide range of both government and citizen-sponsored international arts programs that empower local voices, stories, and viewpoints.
Arts Diplomacy Network supports international arts engagement through three areas of focus:
Fostering Research
Arts Diplomacy Network provides:
- A consortium framework based on information sharing for scholars and practitioners in order to gather reliable data on international arts exchange programs and their contributions to local and regional economies at home and abroad
- A published series of high-quality monographs of original research pertaining to cultural policy and international arts engagement
- Translation and dissemination of key documents on definitional issues relating to cultural diversity and international cultural engagement
Improving Advocacy
Arts Diplomacy Network leads in:
- Refining arguments on behalf of arts-based cultural exchanges that place them at the heart of nations’ economic models to show that they are not an expense but an investment in the growth and well being of nations
- Partnering with leading cultural institutions involved in international cultural engagement and with advocates who make the point globally about the importance of arts exchange and diplomacy
- Creating strategies to communicate between private sector and government agencies
Educating Cultural Managers
Arts Diplomacy Network provides:
- Training to international and local cultural programmers so they can become more knowledgeable, responsive, and culturally sensitive
- Training to cultural journalists to help them understand and
report on the complexities and benefits of arts policy and international cultural engagement - Spaces that allow for unexpected interactions, and that cultivate community transmitters who connect a wide range of cultural groups
