Meridian’s Director of Exhibitions and I just returned from a 12-day study tour of the United Arab Emirates. We traveled to four of the seven Emirates – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, and Sharjah – and were fascinated by what we learned about local life and culture, as well as traditional heritage. Continue
Before arriving here I had pegged D.C as one of the very boring and straight laced cities, with people doing their power walks and having their gazillionth cup of Starbucks coffee, all suited up on their way to probably sit in a U.N session or whatever it is that they do, but D.C turned out to be a complete contradiction to the robotic city that I had imagined in my mind , for a person like myself, while much of my movement was centered in DuPont the city still wove its magic nonetheless and lo and behold you have a hub of art and culture, people from all over the world, ethnicities, size, shape coming together *much like back home* put them together and what you have is the most amazing experience EVER. Continue
Meridian’s Art for Cultural Diplomacy staff learned about a fascinating tradition between India and Pakistan when Dr. Curtis Sandberg, Senior Vice President for the Arts, traveled to New Delhi to sign a Memorandum of Intent with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations. During his stay, he met with Times of India journalist, Indrani Bagchi, who brought up the significance of mango diplomacy – a soft power initiative that we wanted to share with our readers.
The people of India and Pakistan have existed under similar spheres of influence for millennia, including the Indus Valley Civilization and the Mughal Empire, and in subsequent centuries developed similarities in language, literature, art, architecture, and cuisine across a key international border. Today, while both countries often focus on issues that divide them, a popular, regional fruit is bringing the two nations together to try and ease tensions. Continue
On January 29, 1979, President Jimmy Carter, President Richard Nixon, and Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping commemorated the beginning of a new era in U.S.-China relations, referred to as “normalization,” at an official state dinner here in Washington, D.C. This momentous occasion ̶ documented in the above photograph ̶ was a celebration of the endeavors of all three men to put aside political differences, reflect on the nearly 200 years of collective history, and formally renew the friendship that had been equally significant for both countries. Continue
