Cuba-US cultural exchanges set to expand with thaw in bilateral relations

When President Barack Obama announced plans recently to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, a bevy of US industries - from carmakers to tourism - seemed elated by the possibility of being able to operate in Cuba. The news was greeted with just as much enthusiasm from the culture industry: "Art collectors predict 'stampede' to Cuba," read one newspaper headline. Another trumpeted: "Renewed ties hit a high note for Cuban music lovers."

Grammy-winning producer, musician and composer Andres Levin, who is generally based in New York, happened to be in Havana for the announcement.

"It was extremely emotional," he wrote via email from Cuba. "An air of hope and positive change was felt all over the city, from the streets to the offices. We're still celebrating."

The anticipated diplomatic thaw, along with a possible lifting or easing of the decades-long US embargo, could transform how American artists and cultural organisations can operate in Cuba - and how Cuban artists and their respective groups can work in the US.

"We don't really know yet what will happen," says Holly Block, the executive director of New York's Bronx Museum, who landed in Havana on the day the plans were announced. "But I think restrictions on cultural exchange projects will be a priority for both sides. It's really exciting."

Block is in Havana because she's trying to work out an exchange between her institution and Cuba's Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA, National Fine Arts Museum). The idea is that works from the Bronx Museum's permanent collection will go on view at the MNBA during the 12th Havana Biennial, which opens in late May. This will be followed, in 2016, with a show of works from the Cuban museum's collection in New York.