“Culture is about people, how we live, communicate, what we make, and what we value, which is to say all that make us who we are as people...” - Yunhee MinRead More
American artist Courtney Mattison draws inspiration from our oceans and the coral reefs within, a subject intrinsically connected to the Coral Triangle islands of Indonesia. Her commission for the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Confluence (Our Changing Seas V), and the following artist exchange to Indonesia allowed her to reconnect with these ideas and engage with...Read More
As part of their collaboration for a commission in the new U.S. Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay, Johnson and Aranda traveled to Paraguay to meet local artisans and weavers from different parts of the country.Read More
“As an artist I value a variety of visual experiences to form my ideas for future work. Bringing artists from different countries and cultures together enriches everyone.” - Donna Rhae MarderRead More
American fiber artist Michele Lasker traveled to Lima, Peru to teach workshops, lead lectures, learn from artisans, and worked with students as an Art in Embassies exchange artist.Read More
Fine art and documentary photographers Adama Delphine Fawundu and Laylah Amatullah Barrayn traveled to Kigali, Rwanda, to engage with a variety of communities and promote photography as a medium among artists and aspiring artists.Read More
Nebraska artist Kristin Pluhacek traveled to Asmara, Eritrea, to facilitate and work side-by-side with twenty-four Eritrean artists representing the nine major ethnic groups of Eritrea, to create a nine-panel mural, each panel representing one of the ethnic groups.Read More
"The visiting artist program was an extraordinary experience. As a Luso-American, I have a deeper, richer understanding of both cultures with this experience."Read More
“I have found that when hands and minds come together through common materials in pursuit of art, hearts and minds open. There is a tremendous amount of inherent talent and practical intelligence in all cultures. What we have in common is that we all want to add value to something greater than ourselves.”Read More
“In a world where communications are increasingly complex and languages seem even more abstract, I believe that art brings a vocabulary and syntax that is universal, compassionate and intimate.”Read More
“It is critical that we all learn how to listen and feel for those who have life experiences and are born under circumstances different from our own. The visual arts can give voice to narratives some may not otherwise hear.”Read More
I think that in my case it is very important because a lot of youth gravitate to graffiti and street art. Yet there is a stigma that precedes graffiti – that it is an act of vandalism and it could be – but there are countless other roots and branches to this tree. This kind...Read More
“In general my research revealed the vital importance in the link between the cultural practices of indigenous artisan weavers and wood carvers [whose] work expresses the wonders of nature and the natural world to those actively working to preserve it. Clean waters, flora, fauna and marine life will be represented and pictured in my work...Read More
“I am still amazed by all I was able to do as an Art in Embassies exchange artist, in Kyiv… in a single week. Every time someone asks about my experience I remember another wonderful detail. I am anxious to see how the people I met, the topics we discussed, and the landmarks, galleries, museums,...Read More
“In general my research revealed the vital importance in the link between the cultural practices of indigenous artisan weavers and wood carvers [whose] work expresses the wonders of nature and the natural world to those actively working to preserve it. Clean waters, flora, fauna and marine life will be represented and pictured in my work...Read More
“On Friday March 24th, after a long, grueling day of completing the installation, and even though I had to be at the airport at 5:15 am the next morning, filled with the hope of watching giant leatherback sea turtles lay eggs, I took a late-night excursion to one of the Surinamese shores and had the...Read More
In September of 2016, artist Courtney Leonard traveled to Switzerland, to conduct a two day exchange program in coordination with the Permanent Mission of the United States of America to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, where Ambassador Keith M. Harper was serving as the United States Permanent Representative to the United...Read More
"Hopefully, through my art and sharing my process and the ideas that I contemplate when making my work about understanding materials and concepts of sustainability, I connected with some kindred spirits and inspired others to begin to take these concepts into consideration in their own art making processes. Sustainability and caring for our environment and...Read More
