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ASOCIACION DE AGREGADOS CULTURALES IBEROAMERICANOS
IBERO-AMERICAN CULTURA ATTACHES ASSOCIATION
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1976 / 2006
Thirty years of the Association *
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In 2006, the Association celebrated the Thirtieth Anniversary of its birth. On January 20, 1976, some diplomatic representatives of Latin American countries who were in charge of cultural affairs decided to establish a group, which originally was called the “Inter-American Association of Cultural Attachés of Washington”. The purpose was to promote friendship and cooperation among the group’s members, to exchange ideas and experiences, to organize events in order to disseminate the cultures of their peoples, and to attract greater media attention to the activities they intended to carry out.
In referring to the origins of the Association, due recognition should be given to the memory of Dr. Javier Malagón, outstanding Spanish writer, humanist, historian, and diplomat who died in 1990. His deep affection for Latin America, which he always identified as forming one indivisible unit with Spain, led him to advocate that the term “Iberoamérica” be used to designate the group. His suggestion was accepted and in 1981 the name was changed to “Ibero-American Cultural Attachés Association” and Spain and Portugal became members.
Since 1976 marked the Bicentennial of the Independence of the United States of America, one of the Association’s first decisions was to participate in some events that took place in Washington D.C. to celebrate that momentous occasion.
Among the activities carried out by the Association during its first year, it is worth mentioning a study it undertook of a report entitled “The United States and Latin America: Next Steps”, dated January 28, 1977. The study was commissioned by the Administration of President Jimmy Carter to a group headed by Ambassador Sol Linowitz, and thus it became known as the Linowitz Commission. The conclusions of the study were presented to the Governments of the countries involved for their consideration.
At the time a television series called “Civilization”, produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation and narrated by Sir Kenneth Clark, was shown in the United States. The Association considered it is duty to send a letter to the main television stations that had shown the program, to protest for the fact that the series was in detriment of the culture of its member nations, because the producers failed to mention the significant accomplishments towards the development of civilization made by peoples from Spain and Latin America and, furthermore, in one episode they went as far as to state that neither Spain nor the Spanish-speaking countries had made any contribution to the world civilization.
In 1979 the Association took the initiative of organizing art exhibitions for artists who were also members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Washington; these were called “Diplomats in the Arts”. The first such exhibit was sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank and took place at its headquarters, as did other exhibits that the group organized subsequently. Other venues for these art shows include Meridian International Center, The Arts Club of Washington, and The Art Museum of the Americas.
When the Millennium of the Spanish Language was commemorated in October, 1981, the Association collaborated with the Library of Congress in the organization of a Symposium, “1001 Years of the Spanish Language: An Ibero-American Dialogue”. It also put together a program of cultural acts that were held in the Kennedy Center, the Hirshorn Museum, The Textile Museum and other places. Meridian International Center was the site of an exhibition of art works owned by members of the group.
Through the various activities undertaken it was possible to project Ibero-American culture at the highest intellectual levels of the capital city. Its impact was such that it deserved a personal message of congratulations from King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain.
In May of 1988, the members of the Association were invited by the United States Information Agency to a tour of different cities in order for them to become acquainted with the cultural life of their communities. The journey was arranged with the collaboration of Meridian International Center. Dr. Barbara Mossberg, a noted scholar, was assigned as guide as she introduced them to the history, the culture, the museums and other outstanding sights of each of the places visited. They met with historians, professors, writers, newspaper editors, artists, and community leaders, and learned a great deal through such an extraordinary experience.
The cities they visited were Cincinatti, Ohio; Colombus, Indiana; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans Louisiana; Portland, Oregon; and Los Angeles, Cafornia.
A very important event organized by the Association in 1988 was the First Ibero-American Chamber Music Festival, which took place at the Corcoran Gallery of Art between October 25th and 28th, with the participations of artists from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, Perú, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
In commemoration of the Quincentennial of the Encounter of Two Worlds in 1992, the Association joined the Office of Quincentenary programs of the Smithsonian Institution in organizing the Symposium of the Americas: a forum on cultural identity in the Western Hemisphere, from September 5th though 7th, 1991. This event brought together a distinguished group of historians, writers, humanists, and university professors from Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the United States.
The Symposium of the Americas was an event of great significance, for it afforded a unique opportunity to profoundly reflect upon the cultural, historical, and scientific implications of the relationship between Ibero-America and Anglo-Saxon America and its future.
As part of a series of acts to commemorate the Quincentennial, the group organized an exhibit entitled, “Art in the Ibero-American Embassies” which took place at the Organization of American States’ Art Museum of the Americas from May 29th to June 21st, 1991. It presented outstanding artists, one from each country, selected from the art collections of the diplomatic missions. The exhibit was particularly significant, not only because of the high quality of the works presented, but also because for the first time, officers in charge of cultural affairs of the embassies of nations of Latin America, Spain and Portugal united in their efforts to undertake such a joint activity.
The success attained with this exhibition encouraged the group to make it an annual affair which became known as the Ibero-American Art Salons, and it provided meritorious Ibero-American artists the means to have access to a new showcase for their works in an important world capital. It was then decided that the future exhibitions would be called “Salones” and that a logo of the Association should be created. Mr. Angel Hurtado, a Venezuelan artist who was an officer of the Museum of he Americas of the Organization of American States, designed the logo.
The First Ibero-American Fine Arts Salon was held at the “Espacio Cultural” of the Embassy of Venezuela between October 8th and November 6th, 1992.
Selecting works from those produced by emerging artists of the countries involved proved to be a difficult and challenging task due to the quality and richness of styles and production techniques. For that reason one criterion used was that the artists must have merited national and international recognition and received prizes and other distinctions.
Consecutive Salons were held annually in the city up to 2006. A complete list of the exhibits describes their themes, the works and the biographies of the artists and the venues where they took place is attached.
To demonstrate the richness of the culture of the countries involved, in conjunction with the Salons, the cultural attachés sponsored other presentations such as concerts and recitals performed by acclaimed musicians. They were held in various places such as Meridian International Center, the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Mexican Cultural Institute.
A Latin American Film Festival was started in 1980 at the initiative of Mrs. Glaucia Baena Soares, wife of the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Mr. Joao Clemente Baena Soares. She loved and supported Latin American culture, particularly its cinema, and established the Cultural Foundation of the Americas through which she opened a window to Latin America and its peoples.
The Association worked together with the Foundation and with the American Film Institute to bring to Washington D.C. a variety of contemporary films from member nations. Since its start the Festival was held at the Kennedy Ceter, site of the American Film Institute, but in the last few years it has taken place at both the Kennedy Center and the Silver AFI Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland, which is a branch of the Institute.
In 2001 the Association celebrated the XXV Anniversary of its creation at a ceremony held at the Mexican Cultural Institute. The diplomatic officers who were founders of the group in 1976: Mrs. Piedad Suro of Ecuador; Mrs. Maria Landis of Guatemala, Mrs. Mirtha Virginia Perea of Costa Rica, and Dr. Gonzalo Palacios of Venezuela were honored on that occasion and commemorative plaques were presented to them.
The Association adopted its by-laws in 1993. It was incorporated as a non-profit organization in accordance with the laws of the District of Columbia in 1998.
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* This information about the origins and purposes of the Association, the main events it organized, and some of the actions it undertook as a group in the course of its thirty years of existence was complied by Mrs. Perea with the collaboration of her colleagues, Mrs. Landis, Mrs. Suro, and Dr. Palacios. They all live in the Washington area.
Potomac, Maryland
March 15, 2007
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people since 1-1-2007
