East-West Dialogues

The East-West Dialogue lecture series was endowed in 2013 with a million-dollar gift from longtime ACC supporters Shoji and Tsuneko Sadao. This series engages thought leaders from arts and cultural fields in Asia and the West. It was conceived as a public platform for ACC to advance the values of cultural exchange through dynamic discussion and probing inquiry.

Recent Event

2021: East West Fest

ACC's East West Fest is a celebration of storytelling through the arts, culminating in an East-West Dialogue with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen (ACC 2010) and multimedia artist Tiffany Chung (ACC 2015).

Online

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Past Lectures

2019: Kengo Kuma

Architect Kengo Kuma (ACC 1985) shared his recent projects and dynamic vision beyond 2020 through his holistic approach to creating architecture in harmony with the environment towards a new quality of living.

Japan Society, New York City

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2018: Fumihiko Maki and Peter Grilli

Architect Fumihiko Maki (ACC 1976) and American film producer, writer, and Japan Society of Boston President Emeritus Peter Grilli shared their perspectives on international cultural exchange, based on each of their 50 plus years of living in, working in, and bridging Japan and the U.S.

International House of Japan, Tokyo

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2017: Peter Sellars

In "Making the Case for Cultural Exchange," theater director Peter Sellars addressed how international cultural interaction has become essential to a shared future – enlarging the national experience, generating knowledge of world conditions, and stimulating artistic work for the new century.

New York University

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2016: Pico Iyer and Ian Buruma

Writers, scholars, and thought leaders Ian Buruma and Pico Iyer launched our inaugural East-West Dialogue with an engaging discussion on how their prolific careers have inspired new thinking on culture and community throughout the world.

Morgan Library and Museum, New York City

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