William Feltz ‘66

William Feltz’s 35-year career at the East-West Center in Honolulu has been heavily influenced by his experiences at Lewis & Clark College, particularly his overseas trip to Japan and his studies as a music major. Feltz has been instrumental in developing the East-West Center’s arts program, acting as a key figure in arranging for more than 300 exhibition and performance programs. Under Feltz’s leadership, the East-West Center has presented music, dance, and visual arts from nearly every country in the Asia-Pacific region, and ethnic and regional arts from the United States.

At the East-West Center, Feltz’s goal has been to introduce to a wider audience the amazing diversity of world arts. The program he administers draws audiences of all ages. Knowing that people’s world views are developed at a young age, he has been increasingly reaching out to at-risk youth to broaden their cultural experiences.

Feltz has made a particular effort to showcase endangered and struggling cultural groups and art forms. By presenting such art traditions in an international setting, he hopes to elevate their stature both in their places of origin and elsewhere, thus engendering a sense of cultural pride at home and respect in the world scene.