At its core, international artistic collaborations are investments that stimulate local economies, bolster innovation, enhance relationships and strengthen multicultural understanding. In the spirit of mobilizing such efforts, the Arizona Commission on the Arts is an active member of the Arizona Mexico Commission (AMC). Through work with fifteen bi-national committees, the AMC pursues its mission to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for the residents of Arizona through a strong cooperative relationship with Mexico and Latin America through advocacy, trade, networking and information.
As co-chair of the Arts and Culture Committee, the Arizona Commission on the Arts works closely with individuals from public, private, non-profit and community sectors involved in the development, promotion and exchange of and service to the arts and cultural industry in Arizona and Sonora. Throughout the year, the committee meets with the Instituto Sonorense de Cultura, and other members from the Comisión Sonora-Arizona (CSA) to advance bi-national projects called Action Items. Examples of former projects include Bi-national Teaching Artist Workshops, Arts Administrators Professional Development Exchange Program and Artist-in-Residencies.
The most recent Arts and Culture Committee meeting at the June Plenary yielded record attendance, welcoming new participants: artists, scholars, administrators, students, educators, business owners, civic leaders and community members from throughout Arizona and Sonora. The day’s programming featured a diverse cross-section of dedicated bi-national arts workers who identified opportunities for international exchanges, surveyed cultural vibrancy, and offered profound and distinct perspectives and solutions related to our shared border region. The convening marked the beginning for new partnerships and helped strengthen existing relationships. It also charted a path to achieve the binational projects. Action Items proposed for 2011-2012 include the following:
- Facilitate agreements and collaborations with public and private institutions in Arizona and Sonora to promote arts, cultural and educational exchanges.
- The Arizona Commission on the Arts in partnership with the San Luis Corporation for the Arts and Humanities will bring an Artist in Residence Program to the San Luis Arizona border community schools in support of the 2012 conference titled The Border: From Barrier to Bridge.
- Continue efforts in collecting and disseminating information regarding current regulations for international arts and cultural exchanges.
A gathering rich with dialogue, information exchange and planning would be incomplete without the creative talent which drives cultural production. The day began with an invigorating musical performance by Chris Jácome, Flamenco Guitarist and artist on the Arizona Commission on the Arts Teaching Artist Roster. Also in the mix were Arizona artists Gabriela Muñoz and Claudio Dicochea, who delivered a lively pecha-kucha style featurette introducing a sampling of multi-discipline Latino arts-related events in Arizona.
While the dynamic duo will be the first to acknowledge that the presentation leaves a lot of ground yet to be covered, uncovered and discovered, their research shows a keen sensitivity and awareness of the vast horizontal and vertical breadth of Latino artistic happenings. During the plenary, Dr. Amelia Malagamba reminded us of the importance of recording these unfolding events and relationships, a project that has given voice and is embodied by eminent scholar Dr. Tomás Ybarra Frausto. In acknowledgement of their continued support and encouragement to build an archive, we respectfully share our contribution to the process by posting this work-in-progress: Fast Forward: a living document.
For more information on the Arizona Mexico Commission, please visit http://azmc.org.
To contribute images and text for consideration in the Fast Forward: a living document archive, please email [email protected].
If you are pursuing international exchanges with Latin American countries, we encourage you to learn more about funding support through the Transnational Cultural Remittances program of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) http://www.nalac.org/. Deadline September 2, 2011.
To learn more about the Barrier to Bridge Conference visit: http://www.sanluisarts.com/.
Fast Forward: a living document
