The global headquarters of the International Organisation of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians (OISTAT), a nongovernmental arts organization, is to remain in Taiwan following the renewal of the contract between the organization and the Ministry of Culture.
The pact was signed yesterday by OISTAT president Aby Cohen and Deputy Minister of Culture Lee Ching-hui (李靜慧) at a news conference at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, also known as Weiwuying.
The agreement extends OISTAT’s stay in Taiwan for an additional five years, through 2030.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Culture via CNA
Cohen, who witnessed Taiwan’s entry into the organization and the relocation of its headquarters from the Netherlands to Taiwan in 2006, said the partnership has supported the headquarters’ operations and contributed to the organization’s growth.
The Ministry of Culture subsidizes OISTAT’s headquarter operations with an annual grant of NT$5 million (US$156,367), Lee said.
When OISTAT’s headquarters first moved to Taiwan, the only world-class theater in the nation was the National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei, but other world-class venues such as the National Taichung Theater and Weiwuying have emerged since, Lee said.
OISTAT, which has members from more than 50 countries, is the only international arts organization which has its headquarters in Taiwan, and is also one of the few such organizations in which Taiwan participates under the name “Taiwan.”
OISTAT executive director Wei Wan-jung (魏琬容) described the organization as an “anywhere door” that connects Taiwanese theater professionals with their counterparts around the world.
Its primary mission is to bridge Taiwanese talent with the global community and to nurture the younger generation, she said.
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