On October 8th, AAI gave a talk at The Townhouse Gallery in Cairo Egypt, one of the region's leading independent not-for-profit spaces for the arts. Townhouse is aimed at promoting contemporary arts within the region and internationally and, like AAI, is informed by the neighborhood in which it is situated.

The opportunity came about as a result of email introductions from Moukhtar Kocache, Program Officer, Media, Arts & Culture - Middle East and North Africa for the The Ford Foundation, and further connections occurred as a result of a happy accident of seating arrangements at a US State Department luncheon.

Gallery Director-William Wells and Associate Curator-Aleya Hamza were gracious hosts. Audience members included artists and curators as well as arts professionals, and the development community.

The Audio Visual presentation featured all AAI programs, including the three funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation For the Visual Arts. Discussion revolved around issues of mutual interest such as support for artists, the nature of alternative venues, how methods for presentation of work impacts on understanding, and the critical need around the world to bring contemporary art into connection with peoples everyday lives.

Image from the Townhouse Gallery Website.