The six-month long Expo 2025 Osaka marks the return of the World Expo to Japan 20 years after the Aichi Expo 2005 and is expected to attract over 28 million visitors. The event is scheduled for April 13 to October 13, 2025, 55 years after Japan and Asia’s first ever World Expo, the Osaka Expo 1970. This will be the third time Osaka hosts a World Expo and the sixth time Japan hosts a World Expo. The theme of Expo 2025 Osaka is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” The Expo’s subthemes are “Saving Lives,” “Empowering Lives,” and “Connecting Lives.”
The U.S. Department of State's International Expositions (Expo Unit) has awarded a cooperative agreement to Meridian International to recruit U.S. Cultural Performers to perform and/or speak at the official USA Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. For the Two-Month Cultural Performers Residency, all travel and lodging expenses will be covered by the program, along with an approximately $1,600/week stipend per person.
Cultural Performers should:
- Embody the best and most authentic representation of American dance, music, theatre, literature, art, food, sport, and other aspects of American culture;
- Collectively reflect the full cultural richness and diversity of the U.S.;
- Attract the interest and engagement of Expo visitors through varied performances, workshops, lectures, panel discussions, master classes, and media engagements; and
- Support U.S. public diplomacy goals to promote U.S. history, culture, and values in Japan and throughout the region.
Cultural Performers selected for the program will be included in one of three cohorts. Each residency is eight weeks in length; Performers can indicate which residencies they are available to participate in. Performers can be solo acts or groups of up to 5 individuals. Throughout the residency, cohorts will regularly engage Expo visitors through live, entertaining in-person performances and other activities such as “open hours” to informally share their artform, musical instruments, traditions, props, and costumes, along with their diverse American culture and values, with audiences. In addition to rehearsals and performances at the USA Pavilion, U.S. Cultural Performers may be invited to perform at other Expo venues or collaborate with performers and speakers at other Expo pavilions. This program is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State and implemented by Meridian International Center. Applications will close on November 30, 2024 at 11:59PM EST.