This month we explore global approaches to public art, find out how English can shape Sudan's future, and meet a local high school student and leading online activist who is heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Video Recap: Citizen Diplomacy Organizations Around the World
If you missed the US Center for Citizen Diplomacy's Summit last month, you can still watch videos from the conference, including a discussion between the heads of seven national cultural institutes chaired by British Council Chief Executive Martin Davidson.
Watch "Citizen Diplomacy Organizations Throughout the World: Opportunities for Cooperation" featuring the British Council, Goethe Institute (Germany), Yunus Emre Foundation (Turkey), French Foreign Ministry, Confucius Institute (China), Japan Foundation, and Adam Mickiewicz Institute (Poland) or read the roundtable report. (To watch the video, skip the first 30 minutes - scroll to 31 minutes for the presentation to begin).
International best-practice sharing was seen as an area that needs further pursuit, and we will work with the US Center for Citizen Diplomacy and our international partners to develop the beginnings of a World Forum on Cultural Relations and Citizen Diplomacy to take place as early as 2012.
Beyond Granite: Global Approaches to Public Art
Can temporary works of public art be as memorable and powerful as permanent ones?
Next Wednesday, Justine Simons, head of cultural strategy for the London Mayor's office, will join the World Trade Center Tower Tribute in Light designer Julian Laverdiere and Krzysztof Wodiczko, Harvard professor and artist with a specialty in temporary light installations, to explore inventive uses of art in public spaces.
Simons will highlight her experience heading London's innovative Fourth Plinth project in Trafalgar Square. Over the past four years the "empty" fourth plinth in the northwest corner of Trafalgar Square has been home to some of the world's most exciting contemporary artworks, including sculptures by Rachel Whiteread and Anthony Gormley.
The December 8 panel discussion will be moderated by Thomas Luebke, Secretary, U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and presented by the National Capital Planning Commission in partnership with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the British Council, and the Trust for the National Mall.
Student Artwork Depicting Anacostia and Thames Rivers on Display at US Department of Education
In celebration of International Education Week, the US Department of Education hosted a reception to launch an exhibition of work from the first year of the arts education partnership between District of Columbia Public Schools and London. Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival project delivered in partnership with British Council Connecting Classrooms with support from HSBC Global Education Trust.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan commented, "We are so proud of hosting this cross-discipline and cross-cultural learning experience as a partnership between our students from DC on the Anacostia River and their peers in London schools on the River Thames."
Dr. Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary School Education, British Council Chief Executive Martin Davidson, and Aimee Daniels, Executive Vice President, Regional President, Mid-Atlantic Region, HSBC welcomed over 100 DCPS students and teachers participating in the project.
The exhibition will be on display at the US Department of Education through early January 2011.
Join The Great Game's Director for a Discussion on the UK's Political Theatre Tradition
On December 16, join Nicolas Kent, the Tricycle Theatre's Artistic Director, for a discussion and Q&A about the UK's tradition of political theatre at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York.
During the evening Kent will introduce the Tricycle Theatre's approach to creating performance which responds to current events. Called "Britain's foremost political theatre" by the Guardian newspaper, the Tricycle is known for groundbreaking productions which challenge audiences to explore events from the Nuremberg trials to detentions in Guantanamo Bay and the Hutton judicial inquiry. Kent will discuss how theatre can encourage deeper public understanding and dialogue on the most pressing contemporary issues.
This discussion event coincides with The Great Game's New York performances December 1-19, presented by the Public Theater in association with NYU's Skirball Center. The Public will host a slate of public events during the run, including a post-show discussion on December 17 featuring Nushin Arbabzadah of Trust Me, I'm An Expert.
TN2020 and GMF Explore Transatlantic Trends
Last month we partnered with the German Marshall Fund of the United States to host a salon discussion entitled, "From Common Values to Common Interests - How Special is the Special Relationship?"
The discussion coincided with the US visit of British Council Chief Executive Martin Davidson, who participated on the panel alongside Craig Kennedy, President of GMF; Bruce Stokes, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, GMF; and two members of the British Council's TN2020 network: Amar Bakshi, Former Special Assistant to the US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice; and Alexander Evans, Senior Advisor to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke at the U.S. Department of State.
Following introductory remarks from Craig Kennedy and Martin Davidson, Bruce Stokes kicked off the discussion with a presentation outlining both the similarity of values and the difference of interests between individuals in the United Kingdom and the United States compared with 11 other countries in the European Union. This was based on data collected in the most recent Transatlantic Trends, GMF's annual survey of public opinion across the Atlantic.
Eighteen Year-Old Online Activist to Attend World Economic Forum in Davos
Next month, eighteen year-old online activist Trevor Dougherty will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos as part of our Global Changemaker project.
Last week Trevor participated in the Global Changemakers Youth Summit in London, a gathering of 58 changemakers from around the world. He was among five participants selected to represent the group and voice his generation's concerns at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
A high school senior in New Mexico, Trevor is one of CNN's top citizen journalists and the youngest person ever to have moderated the YouTube homepage as a "guest editor."
Trevor has been harnessing the power of the Internet in creating social change through "viral" outreach. His videos have been viewed over 3 million times by people in at least 100 countries. In 2008 he organized the world's largest human peace sign in Upstate New York, bringing 6,000 people together largely through targeted Facebook advertising and a low-budget online video clip.
BRITISH COUNCIL AROUND THE WORLD
Sudan: English Language Training Ahead of National Referendum
Yesterday we launched an English radio program that reaches 3 million people across Sudan. The 20 program series is based on a soap opera format and is the first time such a program has been launched on this scale.
The role of English is only likely to increase after the country's upcoming referendum, where the south will vote on whether to secede from the north after decades of war. There are real concerns that the referendum could force the country back into conflict. In this situation, English will have a role as a diplomatic language, helping different factions to communicate with each other across various divides.
We are also providing English language training to the army, SPLA and police forces in Sudan.
BRITISH CULTURAL EVENTS IN THE US
BRITISH COUNCIL SUPPORTED EVENTS
Rebecca Warren Solo Exhibition
Supported by Grants to Artists, new works by UK sculptor Rebecca Warren are exhibited at the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago's Contemporary Art Museum in the artist's first solo exhibition in an American museum. Warren has developed a body of work distinguished by its formal risk-taking and shrewd humor. Placed in the open air against the dramatic Chicago skyline, her sculptures morph and abstract the human form, providing an organic counterpoint to the linearity of the cityscape.
Through December 12, 2010
The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago Contemporary Art Museum
Chicago, IL
John Hoyland in The Independent Eye
Supported by Grants to Artists, John Hoyland exhibits his work in The Independent Eye at the Yale Center for British Art. One of England's foremost abstract painters, Hoyland has gained international recognition by developing a distinctive personal style that utilizes the movement of paint to evoke a world of emotion and imagination. Also on display are a handful of Hoyland's notable British contemporaries who have produced provocative work over consistently prolific careers.
Through January 2, 2011
Yale Center for British Art
New Haven, CT
Yinka Shonibare in Huckleberry Finn
Supported by Grants to Artists, Yinka Shonibare contributes his work to Huckleberry Finn, a showcase of international artists addressing issues of racism, the history of slavery, and struggles for equality through the lens of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Through December 11, 2010
CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts
San Francisco, CA
OTHER EVENTS
At any given time, there are a large number of British cultural events taking place across the US. The following are a small selection of non-British Council events. Please contact the venues listed for more information.
The Pitmen Painters
Inspired by a book by William Feaver,
The Pitmen Painters was hailed by London critics as "a glorious instant classic" (Evening Standard), "a wonderful piece of theatre" (Financial Times) "a beautiful work of art that everybody should see'" (The Times of London), and "a superb piece of work; warm, funny, sad, and thought-provoking'" (The Daily Telegraph). The play tells the story of the Ashington Group - miners from Northumberland who became celebrated painters. The Pitmen Painters was named Best Play at the 2008 Evening Standard Awards.
Through December 13, 2010
Presented by Manhattan Theatre Club
at the Friedman Theatre on Broadway Co-production between Live Theatre, Newcastle and National Theatre
Rex Bloomstein at the Washington Jewish Film Festival
The 21st Washington Jewish Film Festival will feature films and a conversation with British filmmaker Rex Bloomstein. The Library of Congress event Humor, Identity and the Holocaust will include excerpts from three Bloomstein films: The World of Jewish Humour, Nightmare's End, and KZ. He will also join festival director Susan Barocas to discuss their 1995 film Nightmare's End-The Liberation of the Camps, which was the first film to explore the Holocaust solely from the liberator's point of view.
Humor, Identity and the Holocaust
December 3, 2010
Mary Pickford Theatre, Library of Congress
Washington, DC
In Conversation with Rex Bloomstein
December 7, 2010
Goethe-Institut
Washington, DC
The Red Shoes
Adapted from the Hans Christian Anderson fairytale, The Red Shoes has been called a "ringing testament to the theatrical inventiveness and exploratory intelligence" of Kneehigh Theatre Company, based in Cornwall, England (New York Times). The play tells the story of a young girl who can't resist her red shoes -- they make her dance with delight, spin with possibilities. But what happens when she can't get them off? What happens when she can't stop dancing? Not for the squeamish, but you can bring your brave children.
Through December 12, 2010
St. Ann's Warehouse
Brooklyn, NY
Venetian Masterpieces from the National Galleries, Scotland
The High Museum of Art, in collaboration with the National Galleries of Scotland, will present an exhibition of 25 masterpieces of the Venetian Renaissance-12 paintings and 13 drawings.
Through January 2, 2011
High Museum of Art
Atlanta, GA
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