Welcome back to part two of our very special series on the Nepal Street Art Project, a collaborative endeavor between Nepali artists and Crewest Studio co-founder Man One. If you missed part one, head to last week’s episode to catch up on the project’s impact on historic Nepali cities Janakpur and Kathmandu.

In today’s episode, NOT REAL ART founder and host Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with three key players of the Nepal Street Art Project to discuss how government exchange programs can benefit the arts. He’s joined by Project Curator Kailash K. Shrestha of Nepali art collective Artudio, Project Coordinator Sarah Knight of the US Embassy in Nepal, and street artist extraordinaire Man One, who was invited by the US Embassy to serve as an ambassador of American contemporary art.

Organized by Kathmandu-based art collective Artudio in collaboration with the US Embassy in Nepal, the Nepal Street Art Project showcases and celebrates socially excluded communities in the region with curatorial projects in Janakpur and Kathmandu. Combining research, cross-cultural exchange, and public workshops, the project’s main objective is to establish critical public discourse on key issues surrounding equity and diversity.

“It’s about inclusion,” says Project Curator Kailash K. Shrestha. “Sharing ideas, being on one platform, and talking about it, having [deeper conversations] about our art practices; that’s the pure form of inclusion and equity.” The three stakeholders chat with Scott about the impact of government-funded exchange programs like the Nepal Street Art Project, highlighting the benefits to artists, organizations, and taxpayers. “What’s the value [of art and cultural exchange programs] to an American taxpayer” asks Project Coordinator Sarah Knight. “World peace. But really, the exchange between people and communicating different policy areas in a way that reaches more people than some of our traditional programs would.”

Tune in to part two of our Nepal series to learn more about the cultural significance of graffiti and the unifying power of public art.

In Today’s Episode

Scott “Sourdough” Power and Man One discuss…

• The inspiration behind the Nepal Street Art Project
• The US Embassy’s partnership with Kathmandu-based contemporary art collective Artudio
• How (and why) Artudio encourages artists to practice art in public spaces
• Curator Kailash K. Shrestha’s inclusive selection process for the project artists
• How the project’s key themes of diversity, social inclusion, and equity evolved
• Why “the universal language of art” is so much more than just a phrase
• The value of creative exchange programs to American taxpayers
• Why the process behind a project like this is more important than “success”
• Why artists have to “create their own fate” and adopt an entrepreneurial attitude
• The lasting impact the Nepal Street Art Project created on its participants

For more info, please visit: https://notrealart.com/nepal-street-art-project-part-two