New Mexico Organizations Face New Challenges In Welcoming International Visitors

April 28, 2017 – President Trump’s proposed travel ban is on hold in the courts right now, but some international visitors continue to report challenges entering the United States on tourist visas. Groups in New Mexico that regularly welcome artists, business leaders and other visitors for cultural exchanges say there have always been some challenges securing visas for guests but they are preparing for increasing difficulties. Correspondent Gwyneth Doland sits down this week with Neal Copperman (executive director of AMP Concerts and co-founder of ¡Globalquerque! ), Juli Hendren (artistic director of Tricklock Company and the curator of Revolutions International Theatre Festival), and Adelle Lees (executive director of Global Ties ABQ).

Last month, as part of the Revolutions International Theatre Festival, AMP Concerts and 516 ARTS co-sponsored the Russian performance collective Pussy Riot’s Albuquerque preview their own theatre piece, called “Revolution.”  Performance artist Maria “Masha” Alyokhina came to the studio to talk about her experiences and the importance of community and of crossing borders.  The full conversation was aired on New Mexico PBS’s ¡COLORES! program.