cultureXchanges Podcast

Our Latest Episodes

On this episode of cultureXchanges, Meridian’s CEO Ambassador Stuart Holiday speaks with Mexican Chef, TV host, author, and educator Pati Jinich. Throughout this episode, Pati discusses her experience with food and diplomacy and how these themes work together to transcend histories, borders, and identity. Pati Jinich is the Emmy-nominated Mexican host and executive producer of both La Frontera, her PBS Primetime docuseries that reveals untold stories from the US-Mexico border, and Pati’s Mexican Table, which has brought Mexican flavors into American homes for more than 10 years. A James Beard award-winning chef and former political analyst, Pati has made it her life’s work to build greater understanding between her two home countries: Mexico, where she was born, and the United States, where she currently resides and is raising her family. In addition to her television work, she is a New York Times bestselling author with 3 cookbooks, including her most recent book Treasures of the Mexican Table: Classic Recipes, Local Secrets.

On this episode of cultureXchanges, Meridian’s CEO Ambassador Stuart Holliday speaks with artist Hank Willis Thomas on how growing up in Washington, DC shaped his artistic vision, the theme of universality in his work, and what politicians could learn from the world of art criticism. Thomas lives and works in Brooklyn, New York as a conceptual artist working on themes related to perspective, identity, commodity, media, and popular culture. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and abroad including the International Center of Photography, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Hong Kong Arts Centre, the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, and the Rubell Museum here in Washington, DC. His collaborative projects include In Search of the Truth, The Writing on the Wall, and the For Freedoms Collective. He is also a member of the Public Design Commission for the City of New York.

On this episode of cultureXchanges, Meridian’s CEO Ambassador Stuart Holliday speaks with artist Jeff Koons to learn about his upbringing and the impact of his work on a global scale. Koons is one of the most well-known working artists today, with his large-scale sculptures and bold paintings touching on ideas of commodity, spectacle, and consumerism. His work belongs to the collections of The Broad, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Koons has received numerous awards and honors in recognition of his cultural achievements, including the Officer of the French Legion of Honour; the State Department’s Medal of the Arts for his outstanding commitment to the Art in Embassies Program and international cultural exchange; and the U.S. Consulate General’s Award for Cultural Diplomacy in Florence. His work has been exhibited extensively in New York, London, Chicago, Basel, Florence, Seoul, and elsewhere.

About the Podcast

cultureXchanges is a podcast at the intersection of the humanities and cultural diplomacy. Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and hosted by Meridian International Center, cultureXchanges dives into the lesser-known stories of cultural diplomacy with experts and scholars from the broader humanities field.

Season 1 and 2 of cultureXchanges were supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Where to Listen

cultureXchanges can be found on Apple, Spotify, Acast, and other platforms.

 

 

 

 

Project summary

cultureXchanges Podcast
Impact Areas: Cultural Diplomacy
Program Areas: Culture