President’s Committee Forges New International Cultural Partnerships

Chairman Adair Margo joins Mexico’s Alvaro Hegewisch (far right) and Belize’s George Thompson (far left) in signing Cultural Communiqués between the U.S. and their respective countries.

Chairman Adair Margo and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities began a series of momentous meetings in April with its committee meeting in El Paso, Texas followed by the Sister Cultural Parks Meeting in May at Mesa Verde National Park and culminating with the first U.S. government cultural delegation to China in June. Each of these events helped forged new cultural relationships between the U.S., and their cultural counterparts in Mexico, China and Belize.

Paquime (top) in Northern Mexico shares many cultural ties with its sister World Heritage site, Mesa Verde National Park (bottom). A new agreement signed by dignitaries from the U.S. and Mexico at Mesa Verde will break new ground by focusing on the cultural connections between these parks.

The opening act in this series of international efforts began n April with the President’s Committee meeting in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. By meeting in these border cities, which are actually one, the President’s Committee could experience first-hand the cultural connections that tie these two nations together. By visiting cultural sites on both sides of the border; by honoring the artists who live here; and by bringing together members of the committee, in particular the heads and representatives from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute of Museum and Library Services, as well as the National Park Service, to meet with their official counterparts from Mexico—the National Council for Culture and the Arts (CONACULTA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute of Archaeology and History (INAH)—and Belize’s Ministry of Culture, the PCAH expanded the foundation for new cultural initiatives.

At the meeting, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs bestowed its prestigious OHTLI award on local artist Jose Cisneros, who is also a recipient of the National Humanities Medal. As a Mexican-American artist, Cisneros embodies the living cultural connections between the U.S. and Mexico. His pen and ink drawings of the vaqueros and their horsemanship are akin in capturing a way of life just as the work of artist Charles Russell made the American cowboy famous.

The perspective of artists and what they do to enhance the cultural connections between the U.S. and Mexico was the focus of the Sister Cultural Parks meeting held two weeks later at Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde has formed a relationship with two other World Heritage sites--Paquime (Mexico) and Monte Alban (Mexico)--and a world-class site in Belize, Caracol. At the El Paso meeting, representatives signed two Cultural Communiqués, one between the U.S. and Mexico and one between the U.S. and Belize. These documents outlined a commitment to expanding cultural exchanges of artists, performers and scholars, as well as joint cooperation on issues of sustainability and development around these world-class parks.
The Mesa Verde meeting broke new ground with its exploration of an international park relationship that was based primarily on their cultural connections and supported by a cross-sector approach, drawing on the expertise and resources of public and private cultural, tourism, philanthropy, preservation, environmental/public lands and business interests As keynote speaker Tomas Ybarra-Frausto, a scholar and former foundation executive, pointed out in his remarks “nature and culture are non-renewable resources” and there are “rights and responsibilities of living in an international global community” particularly when it comes to these world-class parks.

Moving from expanding cultural connections within the Americas to its historic trip to Asia in June, Chairman Adair Margo will lead the first U.S. delegation of federal cultural officials to the People’s Republic of China. Thirty-five public and private cultural leaders will meet with Chinese Ministry officials to address expanding cultural relations between the U.S. and China. The culmination of the visit will be the signing of an Implementing Accord for Cultural Exchange that will encourage an active and steady flow of cultural exchange programs between China and the United States.

“I believe in people-to-people diplomacy, and the vital role of the arts and humanities in strengthening the ties between China and the United States. Through the leadership and support of our cultural agency partners, we want to open new opportunities for artists, scholars, performers, as well as broaden connections in both countries between our cultural and academic institutions,” says Chairman Margo.