Traveling Along the Silk Road: Cultural Diplomacy at the Baker Institute
Wednesday presented another scintillating evening at the Baker Institute; the focus was on cultural diplomacy and celebrated with a panel discussion between moderator Alison Weaver, executive director of the Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University, Ellen Susman former director of the U.S. Department of State’s Artists in Embassies program as an appointee of President Barak Obama’s and Haruka Fiji and Danny Mekonnen, percussionist and saxophonist, respectively, from the Silk Road Ensemble. The panel discussion and Q and A was bookended with performances from the five members of the Silk Road Ensemble currently in Houston as part of a three year residency at Rice University. Briefly, it was wonderful and a much needed light, particularly during these times. The central question was “what role does art and culture play in modern society, in this increasingly contentious world?” The answers were thoughtful and inspiring. In a keynote, Eduardo Braniff, the Silk Road En...