Charlotte, December 14, 2019—The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation hosted a German-themed Christmas party at Mickey & Mooch at Arboretum. More than eighty guests, including 16 different nationalities, attended the event. The Christmas decoration, held in a black, red and gold color scheme, and several posters were kindly provided by the German Embassy. The event included a three-course dinner and musical entertainment by master-saxophonist Bobby Ryder who as an old crooner played songs from the sixties and seventies.
Charlotte—Klaus Becker, Honorary Consul and Chairman of The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation, visited on Monday, December 3, together with Susanne Bless, a German teacher, a group of 27 preschoolers called The Little Angels. The audience, elegantly dressed for the big event, was patiently waiting for the guest speaker’s arrival in the little ante-room. The discussion included important German topics like Pretzels, Gummibären (Gummi Bears), Bratwurst, Disney Castle and its original in Germany, Cinderella and Hänsel & Gretel.
Small tokens were distributed on behalf of the Honorary Consulate and the Consulate General in Atlanta, including the traditional German advent calendars whose 24 doors will be opened – one by one – until December 24 and of, course, German flags, which were waved with great joy. Winston-Salem, NC—German Honorary Consul and Chairman of The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation, Klaus Becker, gave a speech on “Germany in the Carolinas – Reflections and Opportunities” to students of high schools in Winston-Salem and students of the University at Wake Forest on November 29, 2018. The highlight was a power point presentation showing points of touristic and technical interest throughout Germany. One of the teachers reported the comments of one of his students with the words: “"Hallo! I didn't get the chance to thank you. That was fun. One of my students said he never knew it was possible to listen to someone talk for that long and not only enjoy it but want to hear more. Take that as the Gospel -- high schoolers are brutally honest.”
Charlotte, October 24, 2018—The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation co-hosted, together with the American Council on Germany, a dinner reception for John Emerson who served as United States Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany from 2013 to 2017. The event at the Charlotte City Club was attended by selected representatives of the city administration and the business community, especially leaders of larger German corporations and German ‘Mittelstand’ companies. Mayor pro tem Julie Eiselt represented the city of Charlotte. Ambassador Emerson talked about his time as America’s highest ranking diplomat in Berlin under the chancellorship of Angela Merkel, provided his view on the current political climate between the two countries and engaged in an animated conversation on how the civic relations could further be strengthened and reinforced. The dinner was generously sponsored by American Emo Trans. The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation hosted its 3rd biennial Transatlantic Exhibition of Art in the Southeast at the elegant Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art in Charlotte on October 3 as well as at Appalachian State University in Boone on October 5, 2018. The Foundation’s curator Johanna Steinz worked for the 2018 tour with the German artist Christian Ristau as well as with Charlotte-based artists Regine Bechtler, Terry Thirion and Isaac Payne and, in Boone, also with Christine Perry. The numerous visitors experienced a wonderfully stimulating and entertaining ambience as the artists personally interacted with them and showcased their refreshing mix of sculpture, painting and open-minded presence. TEASE – Transatlantic Exhibition of Art in the Southeast 2018 was part of the initiative Deutschlandjahr USA. Under the slogan “Wunderbar together”, the year of German-American Friendship 2018/19 (Deutschlandjahr USA) promotes events and exhibitions featuring modern Germany across the United States in the fields of politics, culture, education, science, business, and industry. The project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, implemented by the Goethe-Institute and supported by the Federation of German Industries (BDI). Additional support for TEASE 2018 was provided by International Ceramic Construction, Lufthansa and Kühne + Nagel. Charlotte: Charlotte photos courtesy of Brandon Scott Photography Boone: TEASE – Transatlantic Exhibition of Art in the Southeast – Officially Part of “Wunderbar Together”8/27/2018
In May 2017, former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and former American Secretary of State Rex Tillerson agreed to hold a Deutschlandjahr in the United States in 2018/2019. Under the slogan “Wunderbar together”, a year of events conveying a multifaceted image of Germany in the United States, the project aims to deepen the transatlantic partnership in all aspects of society. Deutschlandjahr is a program under the competency of the German government, initiated by the Federal Foreign Office and conducted in collaboration with the Goethe-Institute as project manager, as well as other partner organizations.
The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation is proud that its biennial artist tour, TEASE – Transatlantic Exhibition of Art in the Southeast, has officially been chosen as one of the events featured during the Deutschlandjahr. Financial support for TEASE comes from the German government as well as generous corporate and private sponsorships. TEASE offers selected young and upcoming artists from both sides of the Atlantic to join efforts and travel together through various cities in the Southeast, such as Atlanta, Spartanburg, Raleigh/Durham, Greenville, and, of course, Charlotte to exhibit their works. The 2018 exhibition, which is planned, organized and accompanied by the Foundation’s own curator, Johanna Steinz, can be seen at the Elder Gallery in Charlotte on October 3, the Day of German Unity, and at Appalachian State University, Boone, on October 5, 2018. For more information on the Year of German-American Friendship, please click below: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Secretary General of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the largest party in Germany and the party of Angela Merkel, visited Charlotte on Monday July 23. Before her nomination as the new Secretary General of the CDU in February 2018, Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer served as Prime Minister of the State of Saarland, making her the first woman to lead the government of Saarland. Detlev Rünger, Consul General of Germany, and local German Honorary Consul Klaus Becker had invited representatives of the German business community to a luncheon in honor of Secretary General Kramp-Karrenbauer and her delegation.
Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer was greatly impressed by the strong presence of German companies in the Charlotte region as well as the long-standing manifold relationships between Germany and North Carolina and emphasized the importance of strong civic liens between the United States and Germany. On the eve of the International Champions Cup, Saturday, July 21, The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation staged a welcoming reception for the top management of Borussia Dortmund, including BVB’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and soccer legends Roman Weidenfeller, Patrick Owomoyela and Lars Ricken. Approximately 120 guests convened at Fahrenheit to celebrate and welcome one of the most outstanding German soccer teams. Mayor pro tem Julie Eiselt welcomed the guests of honor in the name of the City. Klaus Becker, Chairman of The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation, himself a Dortmund native, had been instrumental in bringing BVB to Charlotte. Special thanks go to our corporate sponsors Evonik, Atrium Health, VS Furniture, GreerWalker, PNC, Huber Technology, Lagadére, and Dachser, whose generous support made the event possible. Photos by Brandon Scott Photography
Chairman Klaus Becker gave the sequel speech today (the second one in half a year) at Rotary North in Charlotte outlining Germany’s position in the geopolitical world and the challenges it faces with its neighbors in Europe but also with Russia, China and the United States.
In order to counter the gloom which seems to be prevalent in today’s geopolitics, he showed slides showing Germany’s tourist places, memorable and historic monuments and technical marvels like boat lifts. At lunch, on Tuesday, June 20, Sharon Decker, the former Secretary of Commerce in North Carolina, spoke to a very interested audience about the upcoming FEI World Equestrian Games. Over 500,000 spectators, 70 countries, 1000 horses and 1500 riders are expected to arrive in our area in September. The Equestrian Games will be the fourth largest spectator event in the WORLD in 2018! The other large events are: The Olympics, The World Cup and Tour de France!
This meeting was co-organized by four international institutions:
which shows the coherent strength of international cooperation in Charlotte. |
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