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The Americas Cultural Summit 2021

The Americas Cultural Summit 2021 took place online from November 1 to 4, 2021. The event was co-hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies.

The 2021 Summit, the third of its kind, explored the theme “Towards a sustainable, equitable and inclusive future.”

The Summit included participation from the Canada Council for the Arts, namely with opening remarks from former Director and CEO Simon Brault and a plenary and a panel discussion led by Board Chair Jesse Wente.

The 2019 Americas Cultural Summit

The 2019 Americas Cultural Summit took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from June 27 to 29, 2019.

The Summit explored the theme of “Cultural Change in a Diverse Territory,” focusing on the profound changes that continue to affect cultural models and practices.

The First Summit (2018)

The First Americas Cultural Summit was hosted by the Canada Council for the Arts in partnership with Argentina’s Ministry of Culture and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA). It was held in Ottawa from May 9 to 11, 2018.

The Summit brought together renowned artists, eminent thinkers and leaders in public arts and culture funding from across the Americas to discuss their role in and impact on the rise of cultural citizenship.

The Summit culminated in a joint call to action that committed delegates to ongoing dialogue, collaboration and exchange. It reflected their shared values and priorities and celebrated the rich diversity that unites the Americas.

Read the call to action in the post-event report

Highlights of the 2018 Americas Cultural Summit

Voices of the Summit

Participants shared their views on the Summit.

Summit statistics

Summit of Americas Statistics 2018

Image of Americas Cultural Summit 2018 statistics including discussion themes, gender balance of presenters and delegates, percentage of post-event survey respondents who were motivated to form new collaborations and partnerships, and participation data on the primary language of presenters and types of delegates, as well as countries represented.

Summit themes

Arts and Social Change, Creating Commons for Digital Inclusion, Cultural Rights, Diversity and Inclusion, Indigenous Rights, Participatory Governance, and Truth, Memory and Reconciliation

Participant data (169 delegates)

Delegates Percentage
Public funder 46%
Organization 17%
Government 16%
Association 8%
Artist 7%
Academic 4%
Private foundation 2%

92% of post-event survey respondents were motivated to form new collaborations and partnerships

33 countries represented

Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Rapa Nui, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and United States of America

Event program

The following question guided the Summit: How can governments, institutions, practitioners, artists and individuals work together to help build more vibrant, open and pluralist democracies that respect, promote and protect the right of everyone to take part in cultural life?

View the Summit programme

Speakers

Karima Bennoune

Karima Bennoune (USA)

UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights Professor of Law and Martin Luther King, Jr. Hall Research Scholar at the University of California-Davis School of Law

Astra Taylor

Astra Taylor (Canada/USA)

Writer, documentarian and organizer

Alberto Manguel

Alberto Manguel (Argentina/Canada)

Director of the National Library of Argentina and writer

Alonso Salazar J.

Alonso Salazar J. (Colombia)

Consultant, writer, former mayor of Medellín

Leandro Carvalho

Leandro Carvalho (Brazil)

UK Chevening Clore Fellow
Former Secretary of State for Culture, Mato Grosso, Brazil and artist

Jesse Wente

Jesse Wente (Canada)

Director, Indigenous Screen Office

Mauricio Delfín Pacheco

Mauricio Delfín (Peru)

Researcher and promoter of open government in cultural sectors

Elizabeth Silkes

Elizabeth Silkes (USA)

Executive Director, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience

Cristóbal Bianchi

Cristóbal Bianchi (Chile)

Artist, editor and founder, Casagrande Art Collective 

María Laura Ruggiero

María Laura Ruggiero (Argentina)

Filmmaker, animator and storyteller

Eliza Chandler

Eliza Chandler (Canada)

Assistant professor, School of Disability Studies, Ryerson University

María Claudia Parias Duran

María Claudia Parias Durán (Colombia)

CEO, Batuta National Foundation

María de los Ángeles González

The Honourable María de los Ángeles González (Argentina)

Minister of Innovation and Culture for the Government of the Province of Santa Fe

Rhodnie Désir

Rhodnie Désir (Canada)

Choreographer and Artistic Director  of RDCreations and Executive Producer of BOW’T TRAIL

Tito Hasbun

Tito Hasbun (Canada-El Salvador)

Consulting Director, Asociación de Arte para el Desarrollo

Jax Deluca

Jax Deluca (USA)

Director of Media Arts, National Endowment for the Arts

Taeyoon Choi

Taeyoon Choi (USA)

Artist and activist

Angie Leslye Pont Chamorro

Angie Leslye Pont Chamorro (Rapa Nui)

Artist, cultural carrier and curator

Kenneth N. Frankel

Kenneth N. Frankel (Canada)

President, Canadian Council for the Americas

The Honourable Olivia Grange

The Honourable Olivia Grange, CD, MP (Jamaica)

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport

Juan Meliá

Juan Meliá (Mexico)

Executive Secretary, National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA)

Monique Manatch

Monique Manatch (Canada, Algonquin Nation)

(Canada, Algonquin Nation) 

Magdalena Moreno Mujica

Magdalena Moreno Mujica (Australia)

Executive Director, IFACCA

Simon Brault

Simon Brault (Canada)

Director and CEO, Canada Council for the Arts (2014–23)

Carolyn Warren

Carolyn Warren (Canada)

Director General, Arts Granting Programs, Canada Council for the Arts  

Martin Inthamoussú

Martín Inthamoussú (Uruguay)

Artist and cultural manager

Javiera Parada

Javiera Parada (Chile)

Actress, cultural manager and activist

The Hon. Fernando Griffith

The Hon. Fernando Griffith (Paraguay)

Minister and Executive Secretary of the National Secretariat of Culture

Collaborators

International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies Logo
Ministerio de Cultura Presidencia de la Nación Logo

Partners

Embajada Argentina en Canadá Logo
National Gallery of Canada Logo
National Arts Centre Logo

British Council Logo
Canadian Museum of History Logo
The National Film Board of Canada
Global Affairs Canada