FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2023
Kingston Hosts International Visitor Leadership Program
Partnership with State Department Brings Artists from 23 Countries
KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble and the City of Kingston’s Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs were pleased to host participants of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on Wednesday, August 9, 2023.
The City of Kingston welcomed 23 artists and thought leaders from countries around the world, including Angola, Belarus, Colombia, the Republic of Korea, Ghana, Nigeria, and many more. This all-day visit marked the first time the IVLP, in its 82-year history, has brought its emerging leaders to Kingston.
At City Hall, Mayor Noble spoke to the group about the importance of art in creating and sustaining community. A panel with local arts leaders (Lara Giordano from D.R.A.W, Ward Mintz from the Kingston Arts Commission, Greer Smith from TRANSART, and Rob Sweeney from the Old Dutch Church), led to a lively discussion. After lunch at City Hall provided by Tilda’s Kitchen, the group toured the Center for Creative Education, the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History, and met with Ulster County officials at the Matthewis Persen House Museum.
The collaboration with the U.S. Department of State highlights Mayor Noble’s vision to nurture the Kingston arts community and support the arts as both a local economic driver and a catalyst for social cohesion and inclusion.
“This was a wonderful and unique opportunity to welcome all of these incredibly talented artists from around the world,” said Mayor Noble. “As we who live in Kingston know, we are a special community, and much is owed to our thriving arts scene and the working artists who contribute to the culture and personality of our great City. We were proud to show these 23 international visitors our community. I want to thank Dina Suggs of the U.S. Department of State and Kitt Potter, the City of Kingston’s Director of Arts & Cultural Affairs, for orchestrating this special event and giving us the ability to showcase our City, and the opportunity to have a rich cultural exchange.”
International visitors included:
Angola: Ms. Imanni da Silva Loureiro, Founder and General Coordinator, I am Trans Movement
Australia: Mr. Jay Masih, CEO & Artistic Director, Encounter Theatre
Belarus: Ms. Tatsiana Shteinbuk, Event & Project Manager, Individual Entrepreneur
Colombia: Mr. Fabio Andres Arboleda Mendoza, NEGRO FEST Founder and Director
Egypt: Ms. Siza Mohamed Abdelhakam Zayed, Marketing Director, RAW Entertainment
Eritrea: Mr. Afewerki Zemicheal Fissehaye, Art and Design Teacher, Genfelom Educational Enterprise
France: Mr. Mossi Traore, Fashion Designer, Zhen & Mossi
Germany: Ms. Joana Julia Friederike Tischkau, Choreographer, Independent
Ghana: Mr. Nathaniel Nii Armah Attoh, Editor Joy Sports/Events and Thought Leadership, Multimedia Group
India: Mr. Sudarsan Pattnaik, Sand Artist, Sand Art India
Lithuania: Mr. Darius Vaicekauskas, Head, Lithuanian Photographer’s Association Klaipeda Dept.
Mexico: Mr. Roberto Eliud Nava Gonzalez, Director, Adolfo Prieto School of Art of the Council for Culture and the Arts of Nuevo Leon (CONARTE)
Nepal: Mr. Kailash Kumar Shrestha, Founder, Artudio
Netherlands: Ms. Stephanie Archangel, Curator History Department, Rijksmuseum
Nigeria: Dr. Josephine Ebiuwa Abbe, Associate Professor, University of Benin
Republic of Korea: Mr. Heezy Yang, Freelance Artist
Republic of Turkiye: Ms. Ezgi Yalinalp, Co-founder and Manager, Puruli Culture & Art
Slovenia: Mr. Sandi Abram, Director of Ljubljana Street Art Festival, Institute for Urban Questions
Tanzania: Ms. Safina Said Kimbokota, Artist in Residence, College of Humanities, Univ. of Dar Es Salaam
Trinidad and Tobago: Ms. Anika Natasha Plowden, Director, Chosen Hands Foundation
Tunisia: Ms. Hazar Hichri, Program and Operational Manager, Ministry of Cultural Affairs
Uganda: Mr. Philip Balimunsi, Curator/Manager, Uganda National Cultural Center
Special thanks to Ulster Savings Bank, Ulster County Tourism, Ulster County Clerk’s Office, and Radio Kingston for their support of this historic event.