U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Judith McHale and Russian Ministry of Culture Mikhail Shvydkoy / Moscow Ministry of Culture 09
I am feeling utterly privileged and thrilled to share with you the inspiring experience of serving as a delegate on behalf of America’s museums as a board member of the American Association of Museums on a United States State Department cultural exchange mission to advance the vision of US and Russian Presidents Obama and Medvedev to create cultural exchange between the people of Russia and the United States. The cultural delegation includes members from the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities, Library of Congress, The National Endowment for the Humanities, Smithsonian Museums, regional arts foundations, Iowa University International Writers program and American Association of Museums. (read more).
Upon arrival we had our first briefing meeting with Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale, and Congressman Delahunt, D-Quincy, MA, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, to outline the goals of the mission. A US Embassy security briefing followed.
Our first day of meetings, held at the Russian Ministry of Culture in Moscow, took place in simultaneous translation to introduce the education, culture and sports delegation and to present the broad goals of cultural exchange programs. 36 delegates around the table made introductions while US Embassy, Foreign Service and State Department officials observed.
The Cultural Delegation sub-group met with their counterparts during today’s meetings at the Russian Ministry of Culture. Working through a translator, more detailed introductions, suggestions and discussion ensued to explore areas of exchange in the immediate and longer term. Russia’s museums, performing arts, film, media, music, dance, libraries are centrally managed by Ministry of Culture. The US has a mostly decentralized, private system of cultural infrastructure. To create successful exchange we must find a way to bridge the centralized and decentralized communications and funding structures.
A plenary session at the Russian US Embassy in Moscow will conclude the three day delegation meeting. US Undersecretary of State for Cultural Diplomacy, Judith McHale and Russian Ministry of Culture Mikhail Shvydkoy plan to issue a bi-lateral agreement of principles of exchange and a preliminary list of ideas at the closing reception and press conference. A follow-up meeting will take place in the United States in March 2010, intended to firm up ideas and introduce potential US partners to the Russian Ministry officials and institutions.
While here we have visited the opulent and beautiful collections at the Kremlin Museums, Cathedral Square, historic Red Square in the snowy evening and experienced a trio of heart-stirring dance performances at the Stanislovsky Theatre.
To view photos of the trip, please visit my album on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130263&id=502964872&l=f1a9804fee
Laurie, I studied in the Soviet Union for two months when I was in college. We lived in the foreign students dormitory at the University of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) across the river from the Hermitage, which has one of the most amazing art collections in the world. The Soviets/Russians are rightly proud of the their culture and the treasures they have from all over the world. I’ll be interested to learn more about how you find Russia now. The “Ministry of Culture” still has the sound of Soviet days. Jamie
That must have been an amazing experience for you, Jamie. Did you stay in touch with any of the students or professors you studied with? Do you speak Russian? This was an incredible experience. Laurie
[...] POST UPDATE: Click here to read Laurie’s blog post on her experience on the Norman Rockwell Museum Blog! [...]