Cultural Diplomacy

We aim for the University of Denver to become internationally recognized for being a preeminent place for learning, programming, and meaningful conversations on the arts as tools for cultural diplomacy and social change. Our Cultural Diplomacy Initiative trains students to engage in creative approaches to addressing the great issues of our time and invites the broader Denver community to learn about how the arts can facilitate connections across the boundaries of nation, language, religion, and culture in vitally important ways. At this time, the Cultural Diplomacy Initiative has two primary pillars: Curriculum and Community Events.

The Cultural Diplomacy Initiative is made possible through the May Bonfils Stanton Endowment.

Cultural Diplomacy Initiative Pillars

Curriculum

This past spring, students got hands-on experience designing and implementing cultural diplomacy programs that address real-world global challenges in Carla Canales' Cultural Diplomacy class. Guided by experienced practitioners and working alongside community leaders, students developed actionable program proposals, budgets, and implementation plans while building the practical skills and professional networks needed for careers in diplomacy and international affairs.

Read more about the most recent course and keep an eye on this page for future opportunities.

Community Events

To continue building on the success of the Cultural Diplomacy program, the Sié Center hosts regular public events, run in partnership with the Robert & Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts and other campus groups. Recent events brought internationally recognized artists to campus for public conversations on Hispanic dance and Afro Latin music and cumbia.

See some of our event highlights below and stay tuned to our upcoming events for this year's programming lineup!

April 27, 2026

Cumbia and Culture
Across the Globe

We were pleased to welcome Latin GRAMMY-nominated Colombian singer-songwriter and accordionist Gregorio Uribe for our spring series event. The discussion and Q&A explored Cumbia’s growth from a traditional form of music in Colombia to a cultural phenomenon across Latin America and the world, along with how Latin American cultures intersect and evolve across borders and generations.

Uribe was a featured artist on the Newman Center’s popular Musical Explorers program, presented in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, which introduces thousands of Denver area second grade students to global music traditions through an interactive curriculum and live concert. Panelists also included Luke Wachter, Associate Director for Educational Initiatives at the Newman Center, and Dr. Lydia Keff, Teaching Professor in the Department of Spanish Language, Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Denver.

May 16, 2023

Art and Resistance: The Story of a Citizens' Uprising in Cuba
An Evening with Carolina Barrero

Resistance in Cuba goes as far back as January 1959 when a militia commanded by Fidel Castro overthrew the former dictator, but massive protest in the country was inhibited by mechanisms of repression tested by this and other illiberal regimes throughout the 20th century. The powerful protest movement that challenged Cuba's regime in 2021 was started by artists and groups of nonconformist citizens who decided to express their opposition with gestures of protests that were broadcast using social media. This is the story of how the desire for freedom sparked by these groups escaped the control of the government apparatus and became a massive citizens' uprising in the summer of 2021.

Carolina Barrero is a Cuban art historian, human rights activist, and democracy advocate. Barrero has been a leading voice in the Cuban dissident art movement and was forced into exile in 2022 due to her involvement in these protests. This event was sponsored by the Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative and the discussion was moderated by Professor Marie Berry, Director of the Sié Center.

Maglione Hall

Watch a Recording of the Event

March 27, 2023

Dance to Change the World: A Conversation with Francisco Graciano and Aisha Ahmad-Post

Mexico and the United States have long enjoyed a cultural connection through modern dance. From Martha Graham’s first visit in 1932 to Mexico City, to Paul Taylor’s repeated visits with his company at the invitation of Amalia Hernández in the 1960s and 70s, to Mexican-American Jose Limón’s indelible mark on American dance, the 20th century laid the groundwork for deeper cultural exchange between dance artists and the wider public from both countries.

In 2022, Mexican-American choreographer Francisco Graciano choreographed the Bach Dance Project at the invitation of the International Cervantino Festival in Guanajuato, the largest performing arts festival in Latin America. The Bach Dance Project provided space for the collaborative generation of ideas and movement modalities that transcended the barriers of spoken language. Creative collaborations like this one can inform how we think about the movement of bodies in both directions across our borders.

This event featured Graciano in conversation with Aisha Ahmad-Post, Executive Director of the Newman Center for the Performing Arts. The conversation was moderated by Professor Marie Berry, Director of the Sié Center.

Maglione Hall

Watch a Recording of the Event

January 12, 2023

Women's Resistance: On the Page and on the Ground
An Evening with Choman Hardi

Women are on the front lines in movements around the world, challenging repression and patriarchy in the streets, as well as through their poetry and writing. Kurdish Iraqi poet Choman Hardi discussed the ongoing revolutions in Iran, Kurdistan, and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Choman Hardi is a Kurdish Iraqi educator, poet, author, and scholar. The conversation was moderated by Professor Marie Berry, Director of the Sié Center. The event was sponsored by the Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative.

Maglione Hall

Watch a Recording of the Event

September 22, 2022

Harnessing the Power of Culture to Advance Foreign Policy Objectives
A Conversation with Carla Canales

Carla Canales is an internationally renowned opera singer, entrepreneur, and Arts Envoy for the U.S. State Department since 2005. In 2016 she also founded The Canales Project, a non-profit that gives voice to issues of identity through music.

Canales spoke with Professor Marie Berry, Director of the Sié Center, to illuminate how cultural diplomacy can fill an important but often overlooked role in current foreign policy debates and add a valuable dimension to co-curricular discussions in international affairs. She discussed the history of U.S. cultural diplomacy to help audience members better understand how the power of the arts has repeatedly been deployed by the U.S. government to help achieve foreign policy objectives.

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