City of San Antonio's Office of Cultural Affairs director receives Taiwan Cultural Ambassador Award

The Taiwan Council for Cultural Affairs recognized Felix Padron, director of the City of San Antonio's Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), with the Taiwan Cultural Ambassador Award at a special ceremony held last month in Taipei. The Council for Cultural Affairs (CCA) is Taiwan's highest institution for the planning and oversight of the country's cultural establishments. Eight outstanding foreigners, including Australian author Thomas Keneally, have won the award since it was first presented in 2005.

"I am very honored to have been selected by the Taiwan Council for Cultural Affairs as a cultural ambassador. My passion for cultural arts, especially in establishing and strengthening partnerships with Sister Cities to bring meaningful art and artists to San Antonio, is a gift all on its own. To be recognized for work that I am passionate about is a great honor," said Padron.

Present at the award ceremony were leaders from the CCA and Ryan Roberts, director of the American Cultural Center of the American Institute in Taiwan. Padron was also accompanied by the City of San Antonio's International Relations director Elizabeth Costello and Commissioner Jim Hu, a long-time resident of San Antonio and Taiwan, and a leading advocate for San Antonio and Taiwan economic and cultural relations.

For the past three years, OCA has played a significant role in developing and coordinating art and cultural exchanges with San Antonio's sister city Kaohsiung and Taiwan. The main highlight of this cultural exchange is San Antonio's "Taiwan: Splendid for One Hundred," which represents the largest celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the U.S. The celebration was coordinated in partnership with the Taipei Cultural Center of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, CCA, the San Antonio Museum of Art, Fotoseptiembre USA and the International Relations Office.

Padron has led the City of San Antonio's Office of Cultural Affairs since 2001, and as such, works with non-profit arts and cultural organizations, artists, City departments, neighborhoods and the business community to anchor the arts as an economic asset in San Antonio.

Since 2008, Padron has been the City's lead in coordinating Luminaria, San Antonio's annual celebration of art and artists. More recently, he has been working to increase the City's international profile by implementing arts and cultural programs with San Antonio's Sister Cities.

Padron is also an accomplished artist and curator in his own right. His artworks have been exhibited widely and published in the New York Times, the New Yorker and Noticias del Mundo.

For more information about the City's Office of Cultural Affairs or San Antonio's celebration of the art and culture of Taiwan, visit www.sahearts.com.