The first World Fair was held in London in 1851 and over the decades they have introduced new innovations such as the x-ray machine, the ice cream cone and the mobile phone to the public, as well as creating architectural wonders, many which remain today as national icons, such as the St. Louis Gateway Arch, Paris’ Eiffel Tower, the Seattle Space Needle, and the Biosphere in Montreal. Taking place every five years in cities around the world, they are now known as World Expos and remain huge global attractions. Since the late 1990’s when the U.S. Congress passed legislation prohibiting federal funding for World Expos and the U.S. withdrew from the Bureau of International Expositions (the organization that has officially sanctioned World Expos since 1928) the U.S. interest for World Expos has waned.

But thanks to a gift from the United Arab Emirates the U.S. is participating as one of the 192 countries hosting pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai! As part of the Global Ties U.S. network, IVCLA was honored to be participating in the preparations for the USA Pavilion - Faces of America. IVCLA assisted in recruiting a diverse group of Angelenos to serve as Youth Ambassadors and Cultural Performers who will perform and interact with visitors at the Pavilion. 

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Sharing ideas and building understanding between nations and peoples is an important component of World Expos. The theme for the Expo in Dubai is Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. The Youth Ambassadors and Cultural Performers will play a major role in providing the human connections to build a better understanding about the United States. A total of 75 Youth Ambassadors and 390 Cultural Performers, who may be individuals or groups, have been selected from across the U.S.