At ALTOUR we understand the power travel has in connecting people, spreading ideas, and helping different cultures better understand each other. When we learned the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Bronx Museum of Arts were teaming up to create, smARTpower, in an effort to expand cultural diplomacy using the visual arts, we had to get involved.smARTpower is a new initiative that sends 15 American artists and collaborative teams to 15 different countries to engage in what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls “smart power diplomacy”. The use of visual arts as one of a full range of diplomatic tools “to bring people together and foster a greater understanding. The artists will be engaging with underserved youth by creating community-based art projects in cooperation with local arts organizations in China, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kosovo, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Phillipines, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Venezuela. The program began in October 2011 and will run throughout 2012. ALTOUR has been taking care of the artist’s travel to each location.
Below is a list of the participating artist’s, their travel destinations, and the local arts organizations that are involved. To find out more about the program and the artist’s involved go to http://artists.smartpower.bronxmuseum.org/
- Duke Riley of Brooklyn, New York – Shanghai, China Partner Organization: Arthub Asia
- Chris “Daze” Ellis of New York, New York – Quito, Ecuador, Partner Organization: Cero Inspiración
- Arturo Lindsay of Atlanta, Georgia – Cairo, Egypt, Partner Organization: Medrar/Nagla Samir
- Rochelle Feinstein of New York, New York – Accra, Ghana, Partner Organization: Foundation for Contemporary Art
- Caroline Woolard of Brooklyn, New York – New Delhi, India, Partner Organization: KHOJ
- Miguel Luciano of Brooklyn, New York – Nairobi and Dadaab Province, KenyaPartner Organization: Kuona Trust
- Samuel Gould of Minneapolis, Minnesota – Pristina, Kosovo, Partner Organization: Stacion Center for Contemporary Art
- Think Tank (comprised of Christopher Robbins, John Ewing, and Maria del Carmen Montoya) of Little Neck, New York; Roxbury, Massachusetts; and Corvallis, Oregon – Beirut, Lebanon, Partner Organization: Arab Image Foundation
- Pepón Osorio of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Kathmandu, Nepal, Partner Organization: Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Centre
- Brett Cook of Berkeley, California – Lagos, Nigeria, Partner Organization: Wy Art Foundation
- Art Jones of Bronx, New York – Karachi, Pakistan, Partner Organization: Vasl
- Mary Mattingly of New York, New York – Manila, The Philippines, Partner Organization: Green Papaya Art Projects
- Xaviera Simmons of Brooklyn, New York – Columbo, Sri Lanka, Partner Organization: Theertha International Artists Collective.
- Kabir Carter of Brooklyn, New York – Istanbul, Turkey, Partner Organization: PiSt///Interdisciplinary Project Space
- Seth Augustine and Rachel Shachar of Los Angeles, California – Caracas, Venezuela, Partner Organization: Centro Cultural Chacao
