EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S LETTER

December 1, 2009

Dear Friends:

I write at the end of a year at CEC ArtsLink in which we helped realize brilliant art projects throughout the world and facilitated exchanges with dozens of international artists. Here are just a few exciting international collaborations: Austin Film Society and Veritas Foundation’s film project in Romania; Andrew Scott Ross, an ArtsLink Projects awardee this year whose work is seen currently at the Museum of Art and Design in New York, conducted workshops in Armenia, and, US artists Jerome Waag and Daniel Gallegos opened a restaurant in a Kyrgyz bazaar as part of our Central Asian Global Arts Lab.

Last month, 16 ArtsLink Fellows from Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus returned from their residencies at the US arts organizations filled with energy and inspiration. Fellows’ evaluations state sincere appreciation of their experiences. To quote Ana Sofrenovic, a leading Serbian actress and vocalist who performed in Meredith Monk’s Songs of Ascension, “Your work truly matters as well as your devotion and passion for connecting artists that would not otherwise get this kind of opportunity.” The Fellows brought a wealth of talent to local communities — Armenian musician Lucineh Hovhannisyan performed at Symphony Space in New York; Polish playwright Malgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk presented her work at the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis and Kazakh jazz festival manager Karlygash Makatova lectured at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance in New Orleans — to name just a few. ArtsLink Residencies remain professionally relevant for the artists and enriching for the communities in the US and abroad even 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

I hope you had a chance to browse www.cecartslink.org before reading this letter. This compelling redesigned website, supported by a grant from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, illustrates the reach of our international activities. Three new features that you’ll appreciate are:

• an interactive map that allows you to gain information about over 1,000 artists and organizations with whom we have worked in the US and abroad
• a Community Page which gives you access to artists’ blogs, videos of performances and work with partners in places as distant as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and the far reaches of Russia
• a new navigation system which simplifies grant searches for new and returning applicants

There is no other organization in this country that brings under its umbrella such a wealth of creative and socially engaged international artistic endeavors. Please take a moment to scan the website bearing in mind that your support makes these activities possible. Gifts at every level are deeply valued, but please give generously so that we can continue bringing important international artists like Ana Sofrenovic to the US and supporting US artists like Jerome Waag, Daniel Gallegos and Andrew Scott Ross to work with communities abroad. I encourage you to join those who support CEC ArtsLink by signing up for our e-mailings, and by making a fully tax-deductable contribution. Thank you.

With best wishes for the holidays,

Fritzie Brown

Executive Director