US RAOs Launch Global Positioning Strategy for the Arts Report

The six U.S. Regional Arts Organizations (RAOs) have collaborated on “Global Positioning Strategy for the Arts Report,” a resource to the Obama administration as it develops new initiatives in arts and culture.
Informed by “voices from the field,” the report focuses on areas in which the USRAOs have been actively involved internationally: performing and visual arts, literature and media.
Read the report by clicking this link.
Among key points of this report:
- Full-throated cultural exchange achieves a variety of important public purposes that transcend individual federal agency agendas. It creates an environment for more effective diplomacy, enriches the education of our children, builds greater acceptance of different cultures within our borders, and prepares us to fully participate in the global economy and society.
- White House leadership is critical to revitalizing cultural exchange. Americans need to hear from their President why cultural exchange matters and deserves public support. White House leadership at the senior staff level can inspire greater collaboration among agencies involved in cultural exchange.
- The U.S. must increase its investment in cultural exchange in order to achieve its full potential, recognizing that economic recovery is our nation’s top budget priority. Increased funding should include ongoing, multiyear support for federal agencies and not-for-profits to ensure sustainability and enable longer-term cultural exchange planning. Among priorities for increased federal funding is restoring greater cultural affairs capabilities within the State Department.
- Effective cultural exchange is two-way. It’s not just about talking; it’s about listening. One-time exchanges of exhibitions or performances are good, but not enough. True cultural exchange offers the opportunity for more profound and sustained engagement among artists and between artists and audiences.
- Using the British Council model as a starting point, a consortium of Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) can serve as a primary partner to the government, ensuring efficient use of federal funds by tapping existing systems and networks for importing and exporting arts and culture. The consortium would also seek private funding to expand cultural exchange. While ultimately responsible to funding agencies, members of the consortium would act independently of the government in creating and managing programs.
Cultural exchange can have a positive impact on everything from U.S. foreign policy to commerce to our growth as individual participants in a global society—if there is more innovative programming, better coordination and greater investment. The U.S. Regional Arts Organizations (RAOs) urge that the United States reinvigorate cultural exchange and are prepared to play a leading role.

