{"id":3390,"date":"2023-07-13T15:54:22","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T21:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/?p=3390"},"modified":"2023-11-21T14:55:31","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T20:55:31","slug":"celebrating-cultural-diplomacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/stories\/celebrating-cultural-diplomacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Cultural Diplomacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Inspired by global insights<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Canada and the Republic of Korea celebrate 60 years of cultural diplomacy, the National accessArts Centre (NaAC) has assembled a group of artists to commemorate the occasion with a celebration of its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intense Difference of Its Own: 60 Years of Korean-Canadian Diplomatic Relations<\/em> is the NaAC\u2019s latest exhibition, one that amplifies cultural diplomacy, a key pillar of the centre\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community Connections Abroad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since 2018, the NaAC has toured internationally while building its global arts residency program. NaAC artists or their works have travelled to such destinations as Hong Kong, New York, and Tokyo, making meaningful connections at every stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the NaAC\u2019s extensive work on the international stage\u2014where an important part of the disability arts conversation unfolds\u2014there\u2019s plenty of potential for the organization to discover fresh, innovative ideas. That\u2019s why investing in cultural diplomacy is so important for the NaAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drawing insights from sister organizations who are creating incredible work, developing successful programs, and attracting major partners provides tremendous value, says Karly Mortimer, Vice President, Artist & Program Development for the NaAC. \u201cThrough their efforts, we learn about building inclusive societies and moving that conversation forward. It\u2019s a beautiful way for us to learn how to think big while improving our programs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural diplomacy activities also present opportunities for the NaAC and its artists to lead conversations about inclusive societies. \u201cIt\u2019s great to have those conversations within the arts because no matter the medium, you have demonstrable objects created by people with disabilities,\u201d explains Karly, adding that the artwork is the audience\u2019s primary focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artwork sparks a dialogue around the value of including people with disabilities and the myriad perspectives that they bring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen we centre those conversations on artwork first, people are more open to engaging in a conversation around disability. It can be an unfamiliar topic for people who don\u2019t have a personal connection, but it\u2019s a fruitful place to talk about inclusion.\u201d<\/p>\nKarly Mortimer, Vice President, Artist & Program Development, NaAC<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Strength in Disability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On a recent trip to Dubai, Karly and a group of NaAC delegates met with a sister arts organization called Mawaheb<\/a>. In Arabic, the word for developmental disability translates literally to \u201cPeople of Determination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIn that phrase alone, we see how differently our two cultures think about disability. It challenges us to think bigger. Mawaheb is ambitious in the way they\u2019re partnering with high-end brands and positioning artists with developmental disabilities.\u201d<\/p>\nKarly Mortimer, Vice President, Artist & Program Development, NaAC<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The heart of cultural diplomacy is sharing ideas, and sometimes in these moments an epiphany occurs. Karly shares a story about sitting with representatives from Mawaheb at the Burj Al Arab, Dubai\u2019s most iconic hotel: \u201cThere we were in the middle of Ramadan at a luxury hotel with artists from Calgary and Dubai, and it dawned on us how much we belonged in that space\u2014that we shouldn\u2019t limit ourselves to smaller, secondary spaces. Our artists deserve to be front and centre. This trip bolstered that understanding for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belonging and Citizenship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because art often transcends convention, Karly says it can teach us how to navigate complex problems and the unknown. That ties in beautifully with how the NaAC artists bring their unique voices and perspectives to explore ideas that are taking place in the national discord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCanada is navigating complex conversations around climate change, Indigenous relations and reconciliation, inclusivity, and what it means to be a Canadian citizen,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen we can demonstrate the nuances that people with developmental disabilities bring to those conversations, we change what citizenship looks like for people with disabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Canada and Korea embrace the \u201cStronger Together<\/strong>\u201d theme of their 60th year of cultural diplomacy, that sentiment rings true for the NaAC and its talented troupe of artistic creators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s power in belonging and the artists seeing their diversity as a source of strength. Society understands that full participation in civic life is an important right for people, but not as important for people with disabilities. Including people with disabilities in conversations and programs is absolutely necessary.\u201d<\/p>\nKarly Mortimer, Vice President, Artist & Program Development, NaAC<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A Spectacular Opening Night<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by the late artist and sculptor Won Lee, Intense Difference of Its Own<\/em> features more than 60 pieces of artwork from 20 Canadian and Korean artists, including NaAC artists, Won Lee, and internationally renowned artist Pixel Kim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intense Difference of Its Own<\/em>, the largest exhibit to be curated and produced by the NaAC, places artists at the heart of the Canada\/Korea diplomatic milestone celebration. The exhibit opened June 29 in Seoul and premieres at Ottawa\u2019s Korean Cultural Center this September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anchored by Lee\u2019s works, the exhibition features compositions in mathematics and music, conversations with place, and conversations with others, both real and imaginary. The artwork illuminates themes that resonate personally for the artists and global themes such as climate change, disability advocacy, and colonization. Michelle Bennie, a Calgary artist, and Pixel Kim will join the Ottawa exhibition to represent the artists and participate in a residency where they\u2019ll create new work informed by their travels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Seoul exhibition, presented by the Korea Foundation, was one of the Foundation\u2019s highest attended opening night receptions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt was like an entire town showed up. It was overwhelming to see how many people came together to make that exhibition happen. It was beautiful, and it made a big statement about how we should think about work by artists with disabilities.\u201d<\/p>\nKarly Mortimer, Vice President, Artist & Program Development, NaAC<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Artist-Powered Future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nurturing and promoting cultural diplomacy is essential to the NaAC\u2019s mission, and when the organization can achieve that from a leadership position where the artists guide global conversations\u2014even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe artists drive conversations about Canada\u2019s commitment to inclusive societies, and then we meet with potential partners and collaborators to highlight the power in that. It\u2019s a beautiful way to have that conversation, and exhibitions like this one are a powerful way to demonstrate that Canadian value.\u201d<\/p>Karly Mortimer, Vice President, Artist & Program Development, NaAC<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Intense Difference of Its Own: 60 Years of Korean-Canadian Diplomatic Relations\u00a0<\/em>opens September 5, 2023, at the Korean Cultural Center in Ottawa, Ontario. Visit\u00a0kccart.ca<\/a>\u00a0for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Karly Mortimer, Vice President, Artist & Program Development, discusses the NaAC\u2019s recent trip to Seoul, Korea and the importance of cultural diplomacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[24,39],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3390"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3390\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}