TESTIMONIALS
From the 2022 Conference (unsolicited letters and emails)
“Congratulations on pulling off an amazing conference. The talks and panels I attended were really informative and interesting. You brought an incredible group of people together to the city and created wonderful opportunities to learn and to network. It was wonderful to have all the events in walking distance from one another and in wonderful convening spaces.”
“As a performing artist, I appreciated the opportunity to interface with visual artists from across the country and around the world.”
“Perhaps it is the best conference from all we witnessed. Huge congrats!”
“The panel and conversations were stimulating and very engaging. It was an honor to be with you and to see such great responses from the audience.”
“Thank you for your dedication and commitment to putting together this outstanding, gigantic event.”
“Congrats on the completion of the conference! Thank you so much for including me in the Transcultural exchange – I loved doing the portfolio reviews.”
“You (and your team!) did a wonderful job and I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions I attended.”
“Congratulations on an impressive edition of the conference!! The attendees seemed to really respond enthusiastically to the panels, there were many exciting encounters and exchanges happening and the keynote speeches were all compelling – I absolutely loved listening to tonight’s discussion, what a thrill to have Eva Respini!”
“Thank you so much for the generous gift it was at attending the Conference. I met so many incredible creatives and it could not have come at a better time.”
“‘Thank-you’ seems inadequate for this experience in which I have truly expanded and learned.”
“I left with so many new insights and connections as well as with so much inspiration. Thanks again for bringing together in Boston so many brilliant & creative people from around the world!”
“Thanks for such an amazing conference. The panels were truly inspiring and will inform my teaching in the weeks to come!”
“The conference took place because it was incredibly professionally organized, and filled with valuable content and opportunities for communication. I am thrilled by the event and your energy, which ignited everyone and kept them in a festive mood.”
“I wanted to let you know that this was a terrific Transcultural event! You made it so welcoming and inclusive. And everything was incredibly well organized! Big Thanks for a powerful event, where we could discuss art in context of world issues that are of the utmost importance.”
“I loved the TransCultural Exchange Conference. Everyone was extremely welcome and open.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed TCE 2022, my first! I learned a lot, met people and got some good ideas.”
“Congratulations on a very successful conference. Because it was my first Transcultural Exchange your pre-conference emails were welcoming and very much appreciated. The outdoor signage on the campuses was extremely helpful too.”
“WOW!!! What a great conference. The panel was great, interesting. I felt that I’m learning from the people there, and felt very lucky to have the opportunity to talk about my work.”
“It was an honor to be included in this magnificent event, especially after two years out of circulation.”
“I would love to deeply thank you for a wonderful collaboration and congratulate you on a diverse, multi-faceted conference. I have met countless inspiring artists, scholars, designers, artivists, and arts administrators.”
“I enjoyed it all very, very much and even got new good friends and lots of inspiration!”
“Thank you so much for another great conference. I could attend such well organized and fine curated panels. Amazing what a great job you are doing every time!!!!”
“What a weekend! This was such an enriching, positive experience for me. Something I noticed was that everyone I met at the conference was so open, honest and encouraging of one another. You created an environment of true collaboration and inspiration. I hope to be a part of it for years to come! I also thought the location was perfect. I was impressed by the campus of the interconnected colleges and the students with whom I came into contact. They were helpful, inquisitive and kind. You have created a powerful, supportive venue in such a crazy world.”
“I had a wonderful time, attended beautiful and inspiring lectures, and shared a panel with a range of artists which were undoubtedly surprising and exciting, so much of what I’ve heard is already going into my work!”
“I got a lot of valuable feedback from artists. Thank you thank you thank you for all the work you and your team did to make this event happen so smoothly.”
“I appreciated the conference and variety of programs you put together. It was lovely to hear people’s perspectives and experiences and to meet new people and see old friends. Thank you for your excellent, impactful work.”
“It was a joy for sharing knowledge, ideas, and inspiration.”
“I had a great time at the conference and enjoyed talking to many people. I have gone to medical conferences and scientific conferences, but TCE is much more fun. Thank you for all your efforts organizing such an amazing organizing event!”
“Mary what a wonderful way to promote the arts, bring together people and create connections. So many voices were heard. Bravo.”
“Loved it.”
From Previous (Anonymous) Surveys
“..the single most exciting and productive art event…experienced…a fully interactive conference structure that provided a limitless number of opportunities for artists to meet and exchange ideas with residency directors, museum curators, and other artists and arts professionals…As a result, I was invited to participate in two international residencies and three exhibitions.”
“I am following up on a great number of contacts made at the Conference and people are following up with me. . . MANY MANY MANY thanks for your generosity and vision in bringing such an astonishing group of folks and activities together. This will all lead to MUCH MUCH more positive stuff!”
“Erase any ideas about conferences you have attended in the past. [Conference director] Mary Sherman has pioneered the new 21st century model. “
“I attended the TransCultural Exchange Conference last weekend and I am writing to say that it was the single most interesting, enjoyable, and productive conference that I have ever attended. It is very likely that it [is] the best conference that I EVER attended. In one weekend, I developed more relationships with international colleagues than I would have in five years if working alone. Since Sunday, I have already received invitations for two U.S. exhibitions and two international residencies starting in 2012. In addition, I formed relationships with many other artists working in a range of traditional and new media. As the name of the conference states, this was truly about an exchange of information, suggestions, and resources. It was the polar opposite of a pretentious atmosphere.”
“You can change the world doing this!”
“It was great to interact with so many artists and arts professionals from Boston and abroad.”
“Year after year, your conference gets more exciting, offering diverse opportunities to attendees. This year I met many directors, professors, and residency program operators from different countries and shared valuable information with them. Also I got a great chance to be a mentor to over 25 artists. . . . Haslla will invite some of [these] artists from the Boston Conference to the 2011 Haslla Residency Program as a ‘full fellowship’ artists.”
“Networking is our most important task at hand now, for a better understanding of our global differences and similarities, between all cultures, be it east or west, be it Middle East or Far East; artists all speak the same language of art!”
“I came away from the conference with scores of new ideas about what it can look like to be an artist and how to go about creating enriching, provocative and stimulating experiences for making new work, developing new ideas, and creating new opportunities for collaboration and exhibition.”
“I have learned of many opportunities for collaboration, connection and funding that I was completely unaware of before this conference”
“I am still somehow overwhelmed by those many impressions, but especially by those very interesting people I’ve met in Boston. This is a journey of a lifetime, indeed.”
“I now know more about residencies in the EU, which I’m very interested in applying to.”
“We are on our way back to Philadelphia after a great nine months in Istanbul on a Fulbright. Not sure I would have ever thought about Fulbright or Turkey without the International Opportunities for Artists Conference. Thank you!”
From the 2009 Conference (Anonymous Surveys)
“As a former conference producer, I know what it takes to create an event of such complexity and magnitude, and I applaud the excellence with which . . .[the conference] was conceived, organized, and executed.”
“It was amazing! I . . . . highly suggest that you invest in yourself two years from now and make it to the next conference.”
“My experience of attending the TransCultural Exchange Conference as an artist and art educator was overwhelmingly positive. I received valuable information from attending all lectures by various speakers as well as excellent advice and feedback from each mentoring section.”
“Your speakers were consistently inspirational.”
“You succeeded in creating ‘the’ very international meeting of residences with this second issue of “international opportunities for artists!” This is the kind of events I wouldn’t like to miss in the future – not only for the panel discussions, but also for the many informal conversations I could have with colleagues, artists and actors of the international art scene.”
“Every day was packed with interesting and useful information.”
“I was so exited in the conference. The coordination and the high class attendees were so great.”
“I attended as many panels as I possibly could, met so many wonderful people, and needed to express my gratitude, to tell you that you brought together the warmest group of people I have ever encountered in all my years being in the academic world . . . On so many levels, the Conference has affirmed my life as a painter . . .”
From the 2007 Conference
“a very successful conference.”
– Marcus Patton, Director Curfew Tower (Northern Ireland), Conference Speaker
“I love what you are doing! I am a painter and have a degree in anthropology and so TransCultural Exchange speaks to my passions.”
– Joyce Conlon, Conference Attendee
“I just wanted to thank you so much for letting me know about this conference… I not only made some very good contacts, but I also had tons of fun, what else can I ask for?”
– Silvia Poloto, Conference Attendee
“I have been to 3 other conferences this year… Yours was truly the best and the most elegent one. I enjoyed it a lot and made great connections.”
“Once again, I was reassured about the power of women. The conference organization with all details benefited us all in our careers I believe.”
– Ilgim Veryeri Alaca (Turkey), Conference Speaker
“I felt privileged to be a part of it all.”
– Natasha Llorens, Conference Volunteer
“It was really amazing conference and I’m surprised how did you get all these people from all over the world together. Very IMPRESSIVE!”
– Evelyn Muursepp, Visual Artists Coordinator, MoKS, (Estonia) Conference Speaker
“I, who had almost given up on conferences, thought it was terrific.”
– Joanna Branson, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Massachusetts College of Art
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It was a wonderful enjoyable, inspiring and informative conference. Weather withstanding, I really had a good time, no, I had a marvelous time… The idea of bringing these artists and minds from many corners of the world to offer of themselves and their organizations ways to share and make this a more enjoyable and livable world was very impressive and has fostered and encouraged my appetite to keep on making and sharing my art.”
– Jason Fitz-Gerald, Conference Attendee
“It was a pleasure to be part of such an event, and I thank you for giving me an opportunity to present our program. I look forward to participating and attending in the future.”
– Xaviere Masson, Manager, International Laboratoire Programs, Conference Speaker
“It was an amazingly ambitious and complex enterprise… and a wonderful event for Boston to host. I hope you will continue this event in the future… It was highly stimulating to be in contact with so many people from around the US and the world.”
– Karen Moss, Conference Attendee
“I hesitate to be redundant with your peers, but the conference was fabulous!”
– Ellen Piangerelli, Conference Attendee
“The conference was wonderful! It was so nice to meet other artists and to have the opportunity to meet the panelists from all over the globe. The hotel was beautiful and the written directions were easy to follow. Your efforts in providing such a stellar event are appreciated.”
– Susan Paszkiewicz, Conference Attendee
“This is one attendee that enjoyed all of the sessions that I could manage to physically attend.”
– Rebecca Darlington Townsend, Conference Attendee
“I wanted to personally thank you for organizing this event; I was able to glean much by way of information from the plethora of presentations, and made a few important contacts.”
– Marketa Klicova, Conference Attendee