Austin Artists Abroad: Cultural Exchange Opportunities with the U.S. State Department 

Are you interested in fostering cross-cultural understanding and collaboration? 
Would you like to share your art with other cultures and nations?

If so, ask not what theState Department can do for you...
ask what you can do for the State Department!

The City of Austin Cultural Arts Division and the Austin Creative Alliance invite you to meet Liz Murphy, Cultural Affairs Outreach Officer, from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), and to learn more about Cultural Programs and Exchanges for U.S. artists.

Ms. Murphy will explain the arts-based programs managed by the ECA - including American Music Abroad, Museums & Community Collaborations Abroad, and DanceMotion USA - and discuss how Austin artists can get involved in international exchanges.

When the program concludes around 5:00 pm, join us at The Dive Bar & Lounge watering hole for some informal conversation with Ms. Murphy.

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational Cultural Affairs (ECA) supports people-to-people exchange programs between the United States and more than 160 countries. Their programs foster mutual understanding among students, educators, artists, athletes, and emerging leaders in various professions. ECA program alumni comprise more than one million people worldwide and include more than 50 Nobel Laureates and 350 heads of state. For more information on the programs that support U.S. artists and U.S. foreign policy as a vital component in 21st Century diplomacy, visit http://exchanges.state.gov/cultural.

The Cultural Arts Division of the Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office provides leadership and management for the City’s cultural arts programs and for the economic development of arts and cultural industries.The Cultural Arts Division is responsible for the Cultural Arts Funding Programs, Art in Public Places Program (AIPP), community-based arts development, and programs to assist the development of creative industries in Austin, as well as initiatives designed to support and encourage the community’s unique cultural identity and vitality. www.austincreates.com

The Austin Creative Alliance (ACA) was established via the transformation of an existing arts service organization, Austin Circle of Theaters (ACOT), which had been operating since 1974. ACA is poised for growth and innovation, inspired by the community-led CreateAustin Plan which forged a pathway for invigorating Austin’s “culture of creativity” and recommended establishing ACA as a top priority. ACA has already expanded its core services to better assist individuals and organizations in the creative sector, revamped its board, revised its internal policies and procedures, and hired a dynamic Executive Director to lead the next phase of development. www.austincreativealliance.org