Art in Embassies

 

Established in 1963, the U.S. Department of State’s office of Art in Embassies (AIE) plays a vital role in our nation’s public diplomacy through a culturally expansive mission, creating temporary and permanent exhibitions, artist programming, and publications. The Museum of Modern Art first envisioned this global visual arts program a decade earlier. In the early 1960s, President John F. Kennedy formalized it, naming the program’s first director. Now with over 200 venues, AIE curates temporary and permanent exhibitions for the representational spaces of all U.S. chanceries, consulates, and embassy residences worldwide, selecting and commissioning contemporary art from the U.S. and the host countries. These exhibitions provide international audiences with a sense of the quality, scope, and diversity of both countries’ art and culture, establishing AIE’s presence in more countries than any other U.S. foundation or arts organization.

AIE’s exhibitions allow citizens, many of whom might never travel to the United States, to personally experience the depth and breadth of our artistic heritage and values, making what has been called a: ”footprint that can be left where people have no opportunity to see American art.” www.art.state.gov

Acknowledgements

Washington, D.C.

Claire D’Alba, Curator
Morgan Fox, Curatorial Assistant
Ashlee Forbes, Registrar
Tabitha Brackens, Editor
Megan Pannone, Editor
Tori See, Editor
Amanda Brooks, Imaging Manager

Tallinn

Craig Shaffer
Svea Suurevälja
Tarmo Tamberg
Aivar Rätsep
Hannes Pihlapson
Kadri Saarmets
Jaanus Puhk
Mark Naylor
Aita Ilja
Filipp Mustonen