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Cultural Perspectives

2012

  • Anna Winestein, executive director of the Ballets Russes Cultural Partnership, and Kazakh film director Ermek Shinarbaev greeted filmgoers in Washington on November 20.
    Kazakh Film Festival Gets Warm Greeting from U.S. Audiences

    Kazakhstan, a country of nomads for millennia, has a vibrant film culture that has come a long way since its Soviet-era beginnings. U.S. audiences recently had a chance to see this for themselves, thanks to a November 14–20 film festival presented at different locations in Boston and Washington .. 

  • Poet Garrett Hongo's latest book, Coral Road, explores his Japanese-American family's history in Hawaii and California during the 20th century.
    A Poetic Voice of Asian America

    Asian-American poetry was the focus of a Library of Congress event on April 13 featuring Japanese-American poet Garrett Hongo. Hongo was born in Hawaii to third-generation Japanese-American parents. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize .. 

  • This 2009 artwork, titled Figure on White, is by Vincent Jackson, whose colorful, stylized figures recall traditional African and Oceanic folk imagery.
    Creativity Explored: Showcasing Artists with Disabilities

    On any given day, the art studios of Creativity Explored in San Francisco will be humming with activity as more than 130 artists, aged 22 to 83, produce original works in a broad spectrum of media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, fabric arts and animation ..  

  • Asian-American students stand in line for a film screening on the University of California, Los Angeles, campus.
    U.S. Colleges Embrace Asian American Studies

    Asian American Studies, an academic curriculum that looks at the experiences and contributions of the United States' fastest-growing racial group, is expanding to more and more U.S. campuses. The field is also evolving as the nation’s Asian-American and Pacific Islander population becomes increasingly diverse ..  

  • Madison Hillmann, 4, watches the St. Patrick's Day parade through her shamrock sunglasses on March 10 in Michigan City, Indiana
    America Goes Green for St. Patrick’s Day

    Little girls in brightly embroidered dresses squirm under last-minute smoothing of hair and bows. Nearby, Irish setters get the same treatment while steadfastly ignoring their larger brethren, a pack of Irish wolfhounds. Ahead, an emerald-green fire truck idles behind an equally bright convertible carrying the parade’s grand marshal and Rose of Tralee, the local Irish-American beauty queen .. 

  • eJournal USA: Enterprising Women, Thriving Societies
    Enterprising Women, Thriving Societies

    Policymakers and business experts have pitched entrepreneurship to women as a way to realize their aspirations and make a good living. Several multinational corporations have programs to promote women entrepreneurs, including Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women, Ernst & Young’s Winning Women, Coca Cola’s 5 BY 20 and Walmart’s Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative .. 

  • Members of the Trey McIntyre Project perform a 2011 piece, The Sweeter End, showcasing the troupe's signature mix of bold choreography and imaginative storytelling.
    U.S. Contemporary Ballet Troupe Embarks on First Tour of Asia

    The Trey McIntyre Project (TMP), a contemporary ballet company known for its “American heartland”–inspired dance aesthetic, won immediate critical acclaim and a devoted following when it burst upon the scene in 2005. Based in Boise, Idaho, the company performs original works that combine a classical ballet foundation with fresh, innovative choreography evoking its founder’s Midwestern roots.  

  • An Iranian film event attracted overflow crowds to a venue at New York University.
    New York Moviegoers Relish Iranian Documentary Films

    On a recent February evening, movie enthusiasts gathered in a theater in lower Manhattan, New York, not to take in the latest Hollywood blockbuster but to get a rare glimpse into the world of Iranian cinema. 

  • A new agreement is expected to result in 50 percent more U.S. films showing in China.
    Agreement Paves Way for More U.S. Films in China

    Chinese audiences will have access to significantly more U.S. films under a new agreement between the governments of China and the United States.  

  • Chicken-fried steak, a deep-fried beef cutlet, is one example of America’s diverse cuisine.
    American Cuisine Reflects Nation’s Diversity

    The United States is a nation of immigrants, with only American Indians claiming this land as their ancestral home. Other Americans came to this land, or their ancestors came from many other places to a nation often called “the melting pot of the world.”  

  • Postmaster Shirley Ruyle displays Valentine's Day cards fin Fidelity, Illinois. Americans send more cards on Valentine's Day than on any other holiday except Christmas.
    Valentine’s Day in the United States

    A current of excited energy collects in the air as hands clutching bouquets of red roses and pink greeting cards rush by. It’s February 14th, Valentine’s Day in the United States, a day devoted to love ..  

  • Casey Kasem poses for photographers after receiving the Radio Icon award during the 2003 Radio Music Awards at the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
    Lebanese American Became the Voice of Rock ’n’ Roll

    In the noisy world of rock ’n’ roll, Casey Kasem didn’t have to scream, and he was heard more than any other disc jockey.  

  • Cecil Wentum, right, interviews New Hampshire Representative Charlie Bass just before the state's Republic presidential primary.
    Visiting Journalists Learn About U.S. Political Process

    When Americans go the polls November 6 to chose their president, 22 journalists from around the world will be watching with a new understanding of how the candidates were selected to compete for America’s highest office ..  

  • This ceremonial wolf headdress, carved from wood and decorated with paint and horsehair, was created by a Quileute artist during the late 1800s or early 1900s
    Quileute Culture: A Focus on Wolves and the Natural World

    For many fans of the Twilight series of books and movies, the word “Quileute” conjures up visions of a mysterious Native American tribe in the Pacific Northwest whose members can transform themselves into werewolves. The truth, according to museum curator Barbara Brotherton, is more complex and more interesting .. 

  • Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers prepares to throw a pass during Super Bowl XLV in 2011. The Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers.
    Super Bowl Sunday an Unofficial Holiday for Millions

    Each year, on a Sunday at the end of January or beginning of February, tens of millions of Americans declare their own unofficial holiday. Gathered in groups large and small, nearly half of all U.S. households participate vicariously in a televised spectacle that has far outgrown its origins as a sporting event ..  

  • Studio portrait of Hattie Caraway in 1914 (Library of Congress)
    Hattie Caraway: First Woman Elected to U.S. Senate

    In the first half of the 20th century, American women made breakthroughs in fields outside their traditional roles as wives and mothers. One was Hattie Caraway (1878–1950), the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Her husband, Thaddeus, had been a senator from Arkansas for 11 years, but when he died unexpectedly in 1931, the governor appointed Hattie to the seat. .. 

  • Seán Curran dancers on stage
    “Ambassador” for U.S. Contemporary Dance Heads for Central Asia

    Recognizing that many in the general public find modern dance intimidating, Seán Curran says he wants to be “an ambassador for the dance form.” “I’d explain that contemporary dance is not this big scary thing you might like but don’t understand,” he said in a recent interview. “Contemporary dance is an abstract visual language ..  

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