Gov. Tom Corbett signed an agreement Tuesday making Chile and Pennsylvania "Sister Chambers" by fostering job growth and business development opportunities between the two governments. The agreement came at the end of the governor's trade mission to Brazil and Chile.
The state's First Lady, Susan Corbett, is reaching out to the Chileans in a different way, announcing a cultural exchange program based in Pittsburgh and Santiago.
Artists from Pennsylvania will live in Chile, and vice versa, to interact with local artists and create an exhibition with work from their native land.
Phillip Horn, executive director for the state's Council on the Arts, said the program will broaden understanding on the challenges and opportunities in artistic mobility.
Horn said Pittsburgh "made the most sense" when choosing a city in Pennsylvania for the program.
"Pittsburgh is our second-largest city and has tremendous cultural resources," he said.
Horn added the big selling point was the proximity to another studio in Cleveland, where the artists could possibly be working out of as well.
"It's a great opportunity to augment the relationships that are developing between Chile and Pennsylvania on the business side with things on the cultural side," Horn said.
Artists from either country have not yet been selected, but Horn said the goal is to begin the exchange in the fall.
