Portland, OR – Stephen D. Bloom, Executive Director of the Portland Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon, has been awarded an International Affairs Fellowship in Japan for 2008–09, sponsored by Hitachi, Ltd. The award is presented by the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing America’s understanding of the world and contributing ideas to US foreign policy.
“The [CFR-Hitachi Fellowship] was established to contribute to American understanding of Japan and to improved communication among emerging leaders in the two countries,” said Carl J. Green, Senior Representative for Hitachi, Ltd. in Washington, DC and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Green, who assists the Council with the administration of the fellowship program, also observed: “fellows have been selected over the past dozen years from many different fields of activity, but Steve Bloom, with his experience and focus on gardens and cultural diplomacy, stands out as unusual. Based on Steve’s personal qualities and experience, we have high expectations for what he can accomplish in this interesting area of U.S.-Japan interaction.”
Bloom’s project, entitled Grass Roots Foreign Relations: Advancing Foreign Relations with Japan through Sister City and Friendship Japanese Gardens, and the Diplomatic, Cultural, and Artistic Exchange That Flows Through Them, will focus on strengthening ties between the US and Japan through Cultural Diplomacy. The project will include conducting research and establishing networks across the Pacific to enable the better care and maintenance of the more than 200 Public Japanese Gardens in North America, and to increase access to as well as the quality of cultural and artistic programming and exchange within the garden venues, so that the people of Japan and the United States gain a better understanding of each other. Bloom will spend November 2008–May 2009 in Japan, at which time he will return to his position at the Garden.
The Nomination for the fellowship came from the office of Portland Mayor Tom Potter, with recommendations from Ambassador (Ret.) Charles Swindells, the Honorable Mazie K. Hirono, Congresswoman, Hawaii Second District, and Minster Mitsuru Kitano of the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC. “I am so pleased the Council on Foreign Relations selected Stephen for the International Affairs Fellowship in Japan,” commented Tom Potter, Mayor of Portland, Oregon. “It is an honor that a representative from our community will have the chance to participate in this prestigious program. I look forward to hearing about Steve’s experience, and seeing how he brings it back to Portland.”
Bloom has served as Executive Director of the Portland Japanese Garden for the past three years. Moving the Portland Japanese Garden into a leadership role within the local community, while giving the Garden a much greater national and international presence has been a keystone of Steve’s tenure at the Garden. During this time, the Garden has expanded its services, cultural outreach, education program, and art and exhibition offerings. Prior to his position at the Garden, Bloom was the President of the Honolulu Symphony.
The Portland Japanese Garden has been proclaimed by his Excellency Nobuo Matsunaga, former Ambassador of Japan, to be “the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan.” The Garden is above Washington Park at 611 SW Kingston Drive in SW Portland, Oregon. The Garden is open daily except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.