The Cultural Foundation of the Americas

       The Cultural Foundation of the Americas -CFA- is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering and promoting cultural exchanges among the countries of the Americas. The artistic fields of focus are in the literary field, scenic arts, music, theater, dance, plastic arts, handicrafts and other artistic modes of regional expression. Asides from initiating its own programs, CFA also supports the plans and programs of regional and international organizations. CFA collaborates with some of the programs and activities of the Art Museum of the Americas of the Organization of American States.

       For its first event ever, CFA cooperated with the Art Museum of the Americas to bring to the streets of Washington nineteen monumental bronze sculptures of the internationally renown artist Fernando Botero. These sculptures that have previously been exhibited a long the main streets of New York, Paris, Madrid and Tokyo were in the Nations capital for the enjoyment of tourists and Washingtonians alike. Surrounding this event several education programs such as children workshops and conferences were scheduled.

       Last year CFA joined forces with the Center for Latin American Studies of Georgetown University, and the American Film Institute (AFI) to pay tribute to Gabriel Garcia Márquez, the 1982 Literature Nobel Laureate, for 50 years of literary production. A round table discussion was organized and several films based on his work were presented at AFI's theater at the Kennedy Center. During this memorable occasion, university students of the area met with the artist who shared insights on his literary production and read aloud the first chapter of his current novel!

       Also during 1997, CFA co-sponsored several of the exhibits produced by the Art Museum of the Americas. These included "Antonio Joseph's: a retrospective and Light of the Caribbean", this show exhibited paintings of Antonio Joseph one of the most important exponents of Haitian art and of several other Caribbean artists; "Men and Cities" an exhibition of paintings by Antonio Segui of Argentina; "Landscapes", a collective exhibit with the participation of more than 60 artists of the hemisphere centered on the environmental theme; "Gold Jade Forests: Costa Rica" a traveling exhibition under the patronage of the Trust for Museum Exhibitions, presented 142 pre-Columbian creations in gold, jade, clay and stone by the indigenous people of Costa Rica.

       1998 promises to be an exciting year for CFA. It worked with the Organization of American States in some of its 50th anniversary events. This historic celebration, at a crossroads in time when some of the most creative thoughts and ideas of the people of the Americas are reshaping the hemispheric landscape put together panels of discussion with experts in the areas of democracy, trade, education, sustainable development, education and poverty. The encounter of the Nobel Laureates of theAmericas gave us an insight on the views of personalities like Oscar Arias (Peace), Mario Molina (Chemistry), Jody Williams (Peace), Derek Walcott (Literature), Adolfo Perez Esquivel (Peace) and Carlos Fuentes (Literature).

       The second semester of 1998 will showcase a Latin American Festival with films produced during 1996 and 1997. This will be an unique opportunity to show the diversity of our culture and open the doors to some of the current and best Latin American big screen productions.