The twentieth century was a time of great contrast: Humanity made rapid progress in science and technology even as it sank into confrontation and conflict among different nations, religions, and ethnicities, poverty, starvation, and slaughter. Even now the contradictions of modern civilization are apparent all around the world. In order to make the twenty-first century a time of peace and hope, the spirit of art and the role it plays will be critical. The International Research Center for the Arts (IRCA) was established to bring people with a spirit of art together from around the globe, transcending generations, ethnicity, and national borders, and to nurture and transmit a vision of hope and a new worldview into the future.