Transatlantic Rising Stars Project

The Transatlantic Rising Stars Project (TRSP) aims to establish strategic people-to-people programs in the cultural sector to empower EU creative actors to enhance mutual understanding, build trust, and appreciation for EU values and priorities in the US. The project targets the American creative industries and general public through the soft power tool of the arts in three main focus areas: 1) Increasing understanding and support for EU values across the US by using emerging artists as cultural ambassadors to reach the wider American public through accessible pop culture platforms and local community engagement. 2) Establishing opportunities for European visual and performance artists to engage in immersive programs with American counterparts; 3) Building long lasting transatlantic cultural networks. In order to reach these goals, the TRSP will consist of three sub-programs geared toward mid-career artists that are to be managed by a consortium of European and American partners : 1) An artist-in-residence program in which a cohort of visual artists from across the EU is placed within existing artist residence programs across the US to co-create/co-present with US artists, then brought to Washington DC for an artist summit; 2) An educational and networking trip for emerging EU filmmakers to showcase their work within a festival framework, gain deeper insight into the functioning of the US film industry, and make important contacts within it; and finally 3) An educational and networking trip for emerging EU musicians where they can learn how to break into the US music industry, make important contacts within it, and co-create/perform with US musicians.