Louise Blouin, chairman Louise Blouin Foundation, Yu-Sai Kan, artist Alex Katz, Phillip de Montebello, former curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and gallery owner Thaddaeus Ropac. Courtesy of Thos Robinson/Getty Images for Louise Blouin Foundation.
The fifth annual Louise Blouin Foundation Creative Leadership Summit (BCLS) was held in New York City from September 22-23, culminating in an awards ceremony and gala event on the 24th. The Louise Blouin Foundation is a non-profit organization that takes a multidisciplinary approach to its work of global improvement. Focusing on and utilizing culture in order to develop international relations in fields such as trade, foreign policy, education, and environment, the BCLS works with the UN Office of Partnerships to hold an annual summit. This year, CEOs, entrepreneurs, scholars, artists, celebrities, and 100 heads of state were in attendance. Louise Blouin, Chairman and CEO of the Louise Blouin Foundation and founder of the BLCS stated, “The BCLS is about acclaimed global leaders discussing, debating and taking action on issues that effect us all, across borders and cultures.”
Each year, the organization also gives out Creative Leadership Awards to forerunners in industries from business and science to politics and the arts. This year, winners Philippe de Montebello former Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yue-Sai Kan, Honorary Chairman of L’Oréal, artist Alex Katz, and Nicholas Negroponte, Founder of One Laptop per Child, joined the ranks of past recipients like former president Bill Clinton, artist Jeff Koons, Dr. Craig Barrett, Chairman of the Board of Intel Corporation, and Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse.
The participant and guest list of this event is extensive in its length and notoriety, but some standouts include H.E. Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands; H.E. Sükhbaataryn Batbold, Prime Minister of Mongolia; and H.E. Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia; Joseph Aiello, Jihad Al-Wazir, David Andelman, Robert Beauregard, Sophie Delaunay, Lisa Dennison, Allan Goodman, Howard Gardner, Peter Hébert, Kim Heirston, Jack Hidary, Arianna Huffington, Badr Jafar, Vladimir Kvint, Jack Leslie, David Lewis, Diane Lewis, Tony Miller, H.E. Amre Moussa, Dambisa Moyo, Lila Hanitra Ratsifandrihamanana, Michael Schlesinger, Lieutenant General Robert Schmidle, Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Paul Sullivan, Richard Tuttle, Ali Velshi, Joseph Wambia, Paul Wilmott, Stephen Wolfram, and Leonard Zon.
The Louise Blouin Foundation will also be putting on an online auction of items donated by delegates or award winners to benefit ART+HOPE, an initiative that supports artists who use their art to create social change. If you are interested, items can be viewed and bids can be placed here.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Stephenson King, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, and Porfirio Lobo Sosa, President of Honduras. Courtesy of Thos Robinson/Getty Images for Louise Blouin Foundation.
Art Critic Judd Tully, guest, socialite Kim Heirston Evans and her husband Richard Evans. Courtesy of Thos Robinson/Getty Images for Louise Blouin Foundation.
Actress Gina Davis. Courtesy of Thos Robinson/Getty Images for Louise Blouin Foundation.
