As the second largest Mexican community in the world, Los Angeles is uniquely positioned at the center of this cross-cultural exchange. California Institute of the Arts, the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, ProMexico, and the Los Angeles Times proudly present MXLA, a two-day symposium on June 26-27 at REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater) exploring both the economic and cultural value of this very special binational relationship.

Mexico and the U.S. are both powerful creative engines in the Western Hemisphere. Mexico is the number one Latin American creative exporter. Its cultural infrastructure is highly developed, boasting almost 3,000 museums and cultural centers, the greatest number of UNESCO sites in the Americas and Latin America’s leading film industry. Americans for the Arts reported that 702,771 North American businesses were involved in the creation or distribution of the arts in 2015, and employed 2.9 million people.

Through generative dialogue and exchange, MXLA will spark activity, inspire innovation and build binational bridges. At this pivotal time in U.S.-Mexico relations, CalArts seeks to demonstrate the interconnectedness of these two countries’ economic development and creative production. The event’s sessions will focus on a range of topics: film/new media, publishing, visual art, music, design, and architecture and the economic implications of this cross border creative interaction. MXLA brings the best minds in the arts, economic and government sectors together to encourage continued collaboration and market vitality between the U.S. and Mexico.

Speakers include Jonás Cuarón, Camilo Lara, Marisol Schulz, Jorge Volpi, Raul Zorrilla, Alma Ruiz, Carla Fernández, Harry Gamboa Jr., Gabriella Gómez-Mont, Pacho Paredes, Josh Kun, Janet Sternburg, Rodrigo García, Rubén Ortiz-Torres, Ruth Gomez, Tom Rothman among many other influential artists and thinkers.

Cultural commentators Benjamin Juarez Echenique, David Lida, Josh Kun, Steven D. Lavine and Carmen Boullosa will publish bilingual (English and Spanish) accounts of key findings from the conference. Simultaneous interpretation will be facilitated by Antena Los Angeles.

To learn more about the year-long MXLA2017 project, please visit www.mxla2017.org.