The Sixth Tiffany Foundation Award ceremony was held in New York on November 4, 2013. In an elegant ceremony with Tiffany & Co. executives, the Association for the Promotion of Ipponsugi Street from Ishikawa Prefecture (Taisho winner) and ENVISI from Miyagi Prefecture (Shinkosho winner) were presented with trophies to honor their innovative work in promoting local cultural heritage and revitalizing their communities.

During their five-day stay in New York, the delegates also participated in a broader study tour involving meetings with US organizations engaged in the preservation of arts and historical landmarks. These activities allowed them to exchange views on the challenges of implementing effective programs to leverage the historic legacy of local communities. The program served as a rare opportunity for the delegation members, who hail from small, rural communities in Japan, to learn about operations of American nonprofits and to gain inspiration from successful projects that highlight local cultural heritage. Their program, which ran from November 3 to 7, included the following:

• • Briefing on the establishment of the famous High Line park, which is built on an elevated railbed in Lower Manhattan

  • Meeting with Historic Hudson Valley in Westchester County, one of the country’s leading organizations that restore and manage historical landmarks

  • Special tour of the Kykuit, the Rockefeller Family estate outside of New York City that has been converted to a major tourist attraction

  • Visit to the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City

On November 6, 2013, the delegation members also were the featured speakers at a public seminar, “Revitalizing Community Through Art: Lessons from Japan,” which was co-hosted by JCIE and the Japan Local Government Center/CLAIR New York.