Leipzig, cultural center in Saxony, and Houston, commercial hub in Texas, have been sister cities for 27 years in 2020. This is how both cities are often described. However, in the last decades Leipzig has also re-grown into a commercial center in Mitteldeutschland, and Houston is proudly called the most diverse city in America. This interplay between commerce and culture is not the only connection between Leipzig and Houston. The Leipzig-Houston partnership perfectly describes how the future of 21st century urbanity will look like, where culture and commerce are not mutually exclusive. In this digital live discussion we talk to people from Leipzig and Houston who filled this partnership alive, building bridges between commerce and culture.
The discussion will be hosted by Kaitlyn Kennedy, who was born in Houston and is now living and working in Germany.
Our first guest, Deanea LeFlore, is Senior Director for Partnerships at the Ion Houston, which is a smart cities accelerator working to establish the City of Houston as an international start-up and entrepreneurial center. She used to work for Mayor's Department of Trade and International Affairs and accompanied Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to Leipzig - the first time a Houston mayor ever visited Leipzig.
Dr. Helga Aurisch is Curator of European Art at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH). The MFAH and Leipzig’s Museum der bildenden Künste (MdbK) previously organized a very successful art exchange, where many of the MdbK's works, including 83 paintings and the Max Klinger Beethoven statue, were exhibited in Houston while the MdbK was undergoing renovations. Helga Aurisch is also part of the Bach Society Houstons board of directors.
Wolfgang Schmidt has spent his life working in the industrial sector in Germany and the USA and held several senior management positions. Currently he is the managing director of a family business and founding president of the Houston-Leipzig Sister City Association.
Dr. Gabriele Goldfuß is the Director of the City of Leipzig’s Office for International Affairs. She is responsible for the international strategy and the coordination of international affairs of the City of Leipzig. Her office is in charge of Leipzig’s numerous international cooperations: it works with different services within the City such as the office for economic promotion, the departments for culture, social affairs and city planning, the Leipzig trade fair, chamber of commerce, as well as research institutions, local enterprises, cultural institutions and regional NGOs.
The discussion will be streamed live on YouTube and the audience will have the chance to ask questions and make comments.
