Introducing The Canales Project

 

New York, New York - CEO and founder Carla Dirlikov Canales is pleased to announce the launch of The Canales Project (TCP), a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to give voice to issues of identity and culture through the arts and conversation. 

At a time when cultural tensions at home and abroad dominate the headlines, Dirlikov Canales seeks to harness the power of the arts and the talents of artists to help build bridges and promote understanding and healing. “Our goal,” she said, “is to help artists help communities in need of their special gifts, energy and commitment.”  

As the daughter of a Mexican mother and a Bulgarian father, Dirlikov Canales felt that she was born into a state of cultural confusion. Her life’s journey has brought her to the conclusion that cultural diversity is best understood when we start by celebrating what we have in common, and that nothing can do so with greater power than the arts. 

“I could not be more thrilled to be launching The Canales Project. Throughout my life, I have been checking the “other” box, and I came to realize that I am not alone. We must come together and celebrate our similarities rather than our differences, and it is my hope that we can lead the journey from “the other” to “the all,” Dirlikov Canales said. 

TCP’s inaugural concert series, “Between Two Worlds,” will delve into these ideas via music and interaction with artists who understand these divisions. These concerts will offer music from many traditions as well as conversations between the artists and the audience in which key themes will be explored.

In future years, The Canales Project will build on this effort with other initiatives that will tap the power of the arts to advocate for social progress and to give voice to those whose stories need to be heard.  Dirlikov Canales developed the project as a direct result of her work both as an opera singer and as an advocate. She is a Turnaround Artist for Turnaround Arts, a program of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and has served for almost a decade as a State Department Cultural Envoy.

Partners

Perhaps most importantly, we could not achieve our goals without the commitment and collaboration of a wonderful group of partner organizations: 

  • Americans for the Arts
  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson 
  • Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute
  • Creative Santa Fe 
  • Education Through Music
  • NAMM Foundation
  • National Sawdust
  • National YoungArts Foundation
  • New York Live Arts
  • TEDxMidAtlantic

Participating TCP Artists

TCP is pleased to announce the following artists, who will be participating in the inaugural “Between Two Worlds” concert series:

Artists-in-residence & Collaborators

Joining us on the journey through our inaugural concert series, TCP is excited to host two artists-in-residence – Jacqueline Suskin and Kurt Crowley. As artists-in-residence, they will have the opportunity to create content, share their stories, and encourage others to produce their own content as well. 

TCP is also proud to announce that Sheryl Winarick, immigration lawyer and founder of Hope Domino, will be joining The Canales Project as our Community Correspondent. 

The Creative Santa Fe Artist for Change Award

In partnership with Creative Santa Fe, The Canales Project will be awardingMariela Shaker, a violinist, with the Creative Santa Fe Artist for Change Award this year.  Mariela is a Syrian refugee who fled Aleppo and is currently pursuing her Masters’ degree at DePaul University.  

The Creative Santa Fe Artist for Change Award recognizes artists using the transformational power of the arts to: bring diverse communities together, stimulate discourse and awareness, ignite action, and inspire audiences to engage with some of our world’s most urgent issues.

We would like to thank the Rajeev Motwani Educational Commitment, which makes the One Plus One Initiative possible, giving TCP the opportunity to organize a program for young people for every public performance we do.

We would also like to thank Linda and Stuart Nelson for making the Finding Your Voice Project possible, in partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson.

 

Twitter: @TheCanalesProj

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecanalesproject/ 

Email: admin@thecanalesproject.com 

For more information or questions about The Canales Project, please contact Carla Dirlikov Canales (carla@thecanalesproject.com) or Maria Ory, Communications Consultant (maria@thecanalesproject.com).

Visit TCP online: http://thecanalesproject.com/ 

 

Carla Canales