Message from the Director

TransCultural Exchange is an award winning 501©3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting international art and the understanding of world cultures, through high quality art exhibitions, cultural exchanges and related educational programs. Based in Boston, the organization operates throughout the world. Incorporated in 2002, TransCultural Exchange has already received awards for artistic merit from such organizations as the International Art Critics Association and support for its vision and mission from UNESCO, the State Department's Art in Embassies Program, and the Asian Cultural Council, among others.

TransCultural Exchange's projects (exhibitions, artist exchanges and educational programming) focus on international art works as embodiments of individual artist's visions, which are understood to be informed--to a varying extent-- by personal, local and global cultural influences on the artist.   Thus, the organization's projects are not narrative, political or thematic based--although those aspects may be byproducts of the organization's activities.   Instead, the organization's projects look at innovative ways to advance traditional definitions of artistic forms, display and dissemination.

For instance, The Tile Project, Destination: The World examines how essentially the same object (a tile) might take on a different meaning, understanding and appearance, depending on its placement in a specific installation, geographical and cultural context.   In this way, the long honored notion of art works as timeless, hermetic objects, possessing a unique, unwavering aura is questioned. At the same time, the culmination of the project--22 new public art works installed throughout the world--can be seen as unmistakable examples of global cooperation and respect: To carry out the project, over 100 diverse, international artists donated their time and art works to freely give to the world 22 new public art works.

Why is it important to advance traditional definitions of artistic forms, their display and dissemination? I suggest we consider the 2 huge yachts now displayed on the front lawn of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Piet Mondrian's abstract painting of piers. Both would fit under a variety of themes: nautical images, cultural icons, primary colors ...   . But the yachts and the Mondrian are very different. The boats are fun; they are playful, but aesthetically the Mondrian blows them away. The Mondrian is greatness; the boats great.

Greatness is demanding. It can be fun; but, more often than not, it requires some effort and serious contemplation. It demands connoisseurship--that slippery thing that the curator Linda Norden's show Extreme Connoisseurship (www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/exhibitions/sert/past/
extremeconn.html) at the Harvard Art Museums in 2001 so brilliantly addressed.

In the visual arts, greatness demands what is called developing an eye, viewing many, many things carefully in order to become discerning. A bit like tasting many different wines to learn to distinguish one fine wine from another. The developed eye comes from the knowledge of what I like to call the heart. It comes from experience. There are no short cuts; but it is democratic. All you need are eyes (and, I'm told by the blind, even that's not necessarily true).

Why is greatness important? Because, over time, greatness begets great. Over time, the genius that spawned greatness is picked apart and copied   until it's so much a part of our everyday lives that we've grown accustomed to it. Greatness makes great easily digestible and graspable. Great doesn't require a serious time commitment or willingness to try to understand; it is just there for easy taking. It is comfortable, but still a bit edgy or with a slight bite to save it from being banal or trite. For instance without Piet Mondrian, IKEA would not be so palatable--or popular. It probably wouldn't exist.

So, why be concerned? Isn't anyone else disconcerted by the fact that college students listen to the same music their parents did? That Vincent van Gogh is the edgiest art work they can think of? I think it's time for some greatness--but, in reality, I think, it may be here. It's just not being supported because it may not be a blockbuster hit.  

Greatness often means that someone has to put their neck on the line; but not many people are willing to take such risks.   But if we don't start supporting greatnesss and getting it out where we can see and know it, in 400 years, the music in that century's version of the iPod will still be . . . you guessed it: the Rolling Stones. And people will still say of Mondrian, "my child could do that."

Add to this the current problems that have arisen from a lack of understanding of the varying cultures around the world today and it becomes even more apparent that TransCultural Exchange's projects (tangible art works, artist exchanges and talks and related programming) address a number of very important needs.   Visual art --one of the few languages that transcends all boundaries--offers a way to understand not only ourselves and one another, but it offers a venue for greatness, which must be supported if we as a civilization are to move forward.   This is TransCultural Exchange's goal.

- Mary Sherman