Embassy of the United States Beirut, Lebanon

The Cultural Programs Division supports a variety of cultural exchange programs that further U.S. foreign policy, foster America's artistic excellence and promote mutual understanding and respect for other cultures and traditions. American arts and culture reflect U.S. democratic principles, showcase the diversity of the U.S. society, and provide an excellent vehicle to engage and connect with audiences abroad. Public Diplomacy section at the U.S. Embassy Beirut is pleased to offer the following programs: 

The Arts Envoy program supports projects by professionals in the arts who generally spend 5 days to 6 weeks in a country or region, working with priority groups and arts professionals. Projects can be filled by one or more expert participants ranging from visual artists, dancers, choreographers, musicians, poets, potters, theatrical and film directors, actors, film-related professionals, cartoonists, curators, sound and lighting technicians to artist collectives, bands, performance ensembles or professional collaborations.

Programs may include such diverse genres as theater, dance, hip-hop, music, film, photography, crafts, textiles, video art, painting, murals, sculpture, animation, multimedia design, culinary arts, Native American arts, intellectual property protection, literature, architecture, humanities, cultural heritage preservation, conservation, museum administration, arts management and other arts related genres.
Requests for Arts Envoy Program should be submitted to Coptydg@state.gov

The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation: Through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), the U.S. Department of State helps countries around the globe preserve historic sites, manuscripts, museum collections, and traditional forms of expression such as music, dance, and language. The AFCP is the only U.S. Government program providing direct small grant support to heritage preservation. The Fund supports a wide range of projects to preserve cultural heritage, such as technical support for the restoration of historic buildings, assessment and conservation of museum collections, archaeological site preservation, documentation to save threatened traditional crafts, improved storage conditions for archives and manuscripts, and documentation of indigenous languages.

The U.S. Speakers Bureau: The U.S. Embassy Beirut is pleased to offer you the opportunity to interact with American diplomats in Beirut interested in sharing their professional and personal experiences with the Lebanese community.  Diplomats from our Mission are available to address elementary, middle and high school students, university faculties and students, business and civil society groups and NGOs on the following topics: U.S. history and culture, education in the U.S., tenets of democracy, and trade and economic issues. To schedule a speaker send an email to coptydg@state.gov 
 
The U.S. speaker and specialist program awards:  offer grants to American experts to travel worldwide to engage audiences through lectures, workshops and seminars; appearances in foreign media; and in a consultancy capacity.  To request a speaker send an e-mail to coptydg@state.gov

The Cultural Visitors Program:  The US Department of State and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts provides opportunities for young performing artists, filmmakers, and arts managers (between the ages of 19 and 30) and particularly from diverse and traditionally underrepresented communities to take part in training, mentoring and residency experiences in the United States. These programs offer young professional artists creative approaches in the development of the visitor's artistic talents or arts management skills while promoting an understanding of American society, culture and values. The programs are designed to also strengthen the participants' cultural institutions by building sustainable linkages and relationships with American individuals and institutions. 

Fellows Mentoring Program: The US Department of State and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are offering professional development opportunities to 12 arts management professionals between the ages 25-35 from selected countries. This program will be three weeks and will include one week of practical mentorship experience.

American Film Program showcases films that reflect American society and values, demonstrating American principles of individualism, tolerance, ethnic diversity, social responsibility, trust in the law, and the importance of faith and family. The program promotes mutual understanding and illustrates concepts such as rule of law, independent judiciary, and freedom of the press, women's rights, religious freedom, multiculturalism, human rights, and civil society. To screen American classic feature films send an e-mail to Coptydg@state.gov

American Documentary Showcase:  The American Documentary Showcase is a curated program of contemporary documentaries that is offered to U.S. embassies for screening abroad. Funded in part by an ECA grant to the University Film and Video Association (UFVA), and administered in partnership with the International Documentary Association (IDA), the Showcase is designed to promote American documentaries and their filmmakers at international overseas venues, including U.S. embassy-organized events and/or U.S. embassy-supported international documentary film festivals.

Travelling Exhibitions:  The Cultural Programs Division produces occasional poster series on selected topics in the arts or outstanding artistic personalities. These poster series are produced for use by U.S. Embassies around the world. Translated into major world languages, they are distributed to libraries, schools, performing arts centers, American Corners and Informational Resource Centers at US Missions.