The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations’ Office of Art in Embassies is launching a traveling exhibition as part of a year-long initiative for its 60th Anniversary called the Democracy Collection. The exhibition, “A More Perfect Union: American Artists and the Currents of Our Time,” opens to the public on May 25th at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece, moves to Lisbon, Portugal, in June, and arrives in Geneva, Switzerland, during the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council Session on June 29.
U.S. Embassy Lisbon, led by Ambassador Randi Charno Levine, will host a three-day program, starting with the Democracy Collection exhibition, reception, and discussion at the Catholic University of Portugal. The exhibition will be followed by a series of workshops, panel discussions, and public events hosted by its partners at the Central Tejo at Museu da Electricidade and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Iconic American artists from both Ambassador Levine’s Art in Embassies exhibition, “Celebrating Diversity: Democracy and Representation in Contemporary Art,” and the Democracy Collection (Sanford Biggers, Nick Cave; Deborah Kass; Maya Lin; Christopher Myers; Aliza Nisenbaum; Amy Sherald; Dr. Deborah Willis; Hank Willis Thomas) will join Portuguese artists for in-depth discussions on various DEIA topics, which are central to democracy and diplomacy. The program will culminate in a celebration at Ambassador Levine’s official residence showcasing the Celebrating Diversity exhibition.