Expanding Internationalism - A Conference on ... - Mary Jane Jacob

OPENING REMARKS AT THE PLENARY SESSION
Sheila Avrin MCLean
Vice President, Arts and Education
Institute of International Education
On behalf of the Institute of International Education and Arts
International, I am pleased to welcome you to this conference.
We are
delighted to have gathered such a distinguished group--50 participants from 32
nations--to discuss the irrportant subject of this meeting: the changing nature
of international exhibitions.
I would like to take a few moments before addressing the specific goals of
this conference to familiarize you with the work of IIE and of its Arts
International program.
The Institute of International Education has been in existence for over 70
years.
It was founded soon after the First World War by a group of prominent
U.S. internationalists who believed that lasting peace depended upon greater
understanding among nations and that such understanding could be increased
through cultural exchange.
The Institute began operations in 1919 with a
single program.
Today, it has evolved into a diverse organization that
administers over 250 programs involving nearly 10,000 individuals in over 150
countries. We currently have staff in six U.S. cities and in Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, Egypt, Sri Lanka, South Zimbabwe and we will soon
be opening an office in Eastern Europe.
The exchanges managed by IIE are supported by individuals and by a variety
of organizations, including foundations, corporations, the U.S. government,
international organizations, and foreign governments.
Certainly our best
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