Global Initiative on Arts, Culture, and Society

The Aspen Institute Global Initiative on Arts, Culture, and Society seeks to build a neutral platform for reflection, network building, policy formulation, leadership development, and resource mobilization in the fields of arts, culture, and socioeconomic development.

Arts and Culture Matter
Worldwide, there is an increasing recognition of the power of artistic and cultural expression to enrich human lives by provoking reflection, stimulating creative solutions to societal challenges, sustaining livelihoods, and illuminating the conditions necessary for social change. Accordingly, the existence of a vibrant arts and culture sector can hasten the overall political, economic and social development of a community, nation or region. But the vitality of the cultural sector depends on a strong leadership and solid institutions, systems and mechanisms that work together to develop artistic and cultural resources, to promote cultural identities, to strengthen international relations, and to broaden people’s participation in diverse issues affecting lives.

Program Description
The initiative will help raise the profile of the arts and culture concerns in sustainable development and international relations through:

• Convenings of leading thinkers, government decision-makers, business executives, and other influential personalities from diverse professional backgrounds.
• Seminars for professional and leadership development in the fields of arts and culture.
• Network building for cooperative engagement and resource mobilization.
• Research on critical issues related to arts, culture and sustainable development.

Dr. Damien M. Pwono, an international culture and development professional who served as Program Officer at the Ford Foundation and Senior Program Advisor at the Rockefeller Foundation, is the executive director of the Aspen Institute Initiative on Arts, Culture, and Society.