The Washington, DC-based nonprofit Global Ties U.S., in partnership with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at the U.S. Department of State, is pleased to announce that the next two locations for the photo exhibit, Impact of Exchange: Stories from U.S. Exchange Alumni, will be Little Rock, Arkansas and Boise, Idaho.
Following the successful fall 2023 launch in Portland, Maine which welcomed nearly 80,000 visitors during its one-month run with the World Affairs Council of Maine, the Impact of Exchange exhibit is continuing its tour across the United States.
There are four more city stops ahead in 2024, with two coming up this spring:
- March 13 – April 10: Little Rock, Arkansas
Location: The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History
Hosted in partnership with Global Ties Arkansas
- April 22 – June 6: Boise, Idaho
Location: Grove Plaza
Hosted in partnership with Global Ties Idaho
- The final two locations will be Iowa and West Virginia (More details forthcoming)
Impact of Exchange is a public art exhibit that features the photography and stories of U.S. citizen alumni of U.S. Government exchange programs. The exhibit seeks to inspire local audiences to become future exchange participants – and to express their own experiences of the power of exchange to others.
“We are excited that our Community-Based Members in Arkansas and Idaho will showcase their communities through this exhibit,” said Katherine Brown, Ph.D., President and CEO of Global Ties U.S. “We know from our recent Global Ties U.S. Community Impact Study that exchanges create greater opportunities for communities to come together and work together. Exchanges humanize the world, and these programs are accessible to people of all ages in all parts of the United States.”
“This exhibit is a testimony to the lasting impact of exchange programs for U.S. citizen ExchangeAlumni,” said Madelina Young-Smith of ECA’s Office of Alumni Affairs. “ECA’s partnership with Global Ties U.S. and their Network of community-based organizations provides a unique opportunity for our alumni to tell their stories to local communities, generate interest in exchange programs in countries around the world, and shape the national conversation about the importance of global engagement.”
The Impact of Exchange is part of the U.S. Exchange Alumni Network and Capacity Building Program, a cooperative agreement with ECA’s Office of Alumni Affairs and Global Ties U.S. The exhibition is designed by Photoville and hosted by members of the Global Ties Network.
With more than 500,000 U.S. citizen alumni in the United States and around the world, the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Alumni Affairs opens the door to alumni networking, professional development, and the many opportunities that exist in citizen diplomacy. In addition to the Impact of Exchange photo exhibit, the partnership with Global Ties U.S. includes Career Connections events for U.S. citizen Exchange Alumni, the Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund (CDAF), a small grants competition for exchange program alumni to carry out public service projects that make an impact in U.S. and international communities, and asynchronous online learning content.
More Information
Global Ties U.S. powers individuals, communities, and nations to build trust and advance peace and prosperity through international exchange. It is a nonprofit partner of the U.S. Department of State and supports a community-based network of 90+ nonprofit organizations serving all 50 U.S. states. Global Ties U.S. members are exchange professionals who provide the domestic infrastructure for U.S. public diplomacy efforts, implementing the International Visitor Leadership Program and a wide variety of educational, cultural, and professional exchange programs.
The Office of Alumni Affairs in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs: The Office of Alumni Affairs cultivates and extends the impact of U.S. government funded and sponsored educational and cultural exchange programs through continued engagement with alumni of these programs. This dynamic global network of millions of ExchangeAlumni includes current and former heads of state, Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Olympic athletes, award-winning artists, and untold numbers of community leaders and changemakers around the world.
The Office of Alumni Affairs collaborates with U.S. embassies and consulates abroad to leverage the expertise, energy, and enthusiasm of exchange alumni in support of shared goals. Domestically, The Office of Alumni Affairs works with implementing partners to support U.S. citizen alumni in leveraging the impact of their exchange experience after returning to the United States. Every day, exchange alumni make a difference in their communities and around the world, in health care, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, volunteerism, the democratic process, technology, and much more.
Photoville is a New York-based nonprofit organization that works to promote a wider understanding and increased access to the art of photography for all. Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion by ensuring that the artists they exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race. By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, Photoville joins the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.