With the U.S. tour of Past Forward: Contemporary Art from the Emirates concluded after its last display in Lexington, Kentucky, Dana Al Marashi, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, DC’s Head of Heritage and Social Affairs Department, shares her thoughts on the exhibition:
IVLP Alumni Spotlight features U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni as they reflect on the impact of the program and how it has affected their work and lives. Here we feature one alumna who participated in a Multi-Regional project for journalists and media professionals. The participant spent three weeks in the United States examining how new technologies shape the way news is gathered and how broadcast media influences and reflects American society. More information about Erin’s experience on the program can be found here: “Digital Media in the U.S. & Australia: IVLP Alumna Shares Key Takeaways from Exchange”
Festival d’Aix-en-Provence International Festival of Lyric Art Aix in June Aix-en-Provence, France June 4-26 The Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, International Festival of Lyric Art, is kicking off its 2016 celebration with a month long prelude of musical events called Aix en Juin/Aix in June. The Festival d’Aix takes place in its namesake, the town of Aix-en-Provence, France. The festival was founded as a response to the Second World War, when all of Europe was struggling to rebuild their infrastructure, culture and identity. France responded by launching a string of arts festivals, such as the Cannes Film Festival in 1946, and the...
Continue
Community Engagement through the Mosaic Arts
I was honored to be selected by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center to be a cultural ambassador in Turkey through their Community Engagement through the Mural Arts Program. I specialize in community-based public art and work with communities to create mosaic murals and street art that have cultural significance and communicate messages of empowerment, awareness and social justice… while fostering well-being through creative expression. I travel often for my work and whenever I go to a new place I try to keep an open mind and heart to welcome in the new. I had been to Turkey one time before, in 1992… so a really long time ago… and I was really excited about this project.
The provision of human rights is critical to maintaining peace and harmony within societies, countries, regions and all over the world. It is a broad term and not limited to popular issues like minority rights, equality and justice. In most cases, many people are unaware of their constitutional, political and consumer rights due to a lack of awareness in the developing countries. It is quite common to overlook this fact when it comes to educating people about their rights due to either a lack of will or insufficient resources. If we deeply analyze the root-causes of any single social...
Continue
