Tag Archives: Art

New Humanitarian Aid for Libya / Food Costs Soar Globally / A Monumental Work by an Indian Artist

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President Obama announces more humanitarian aid for Libya. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton unveils a new initiative on women’s leadership. Global food prices have reached record highs. Learn about the legacy of the Alliance for Progress, launched by President Kennedy in 1961. And an Indian artist offers up a monumental work.

Aid for Libya Refugees
More Humanitarian Aid for Libya
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President Obama says the United States and other countries will stand with the people of Libya and announces additional U.S. humanitarian assistance to support international aid organizations in Libya. Both the United States and Australia support democracy and human rights around the world and will stand with the Libyan people, says Obama in remarks with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Women’s Leadership Initiative
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton launches a new initiative aimed at using international exchanges to nurture women in leadership positions around the world. “Women’s Leadership: The Next Hundred Years” is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and is bringing 100 women leaders from 92 countries to the United States this year to explore women’s political, economic and civic leadership.

Food Prices Reach Record High
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Global food prices reached a record-high level in February, driven mainly by higher prices for cereals, meat and dairy products. The increases have raised concerns that millions more people could be pushed further into poverty and civil unrest could result, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

The Alliance for Progress
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In 1961, President John F. Kennedy launched the Alliance for Progress, an ambitious foreign-aid program for Latin America which called for broad social and economic reforms. Although the Alliance is perhaps largely forgotten now, it marked a fresh approach to U.S.-Latin American relations, says Arturo Valenzuela, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

Maximum India’s Falling Fables 
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Indian artist Reena Saini Kallat’s monumental installation, Falling Fables, celebrates and mourns the passing of time and disappearance of architecture. On display at “maximum INDIA,” a 20-day festival of dance, theater, music, art and crafts at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, the work is a massive fallen pillar covered with more than 30,000 hand-crafted rubber stamps, Kallat’s signature motif.

Clinton on Civil Society / World Food Prices / Color in Freedom

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls for enhanced engagement between civil society groups and the United States. Food prices are up by 29% worldwide. President Obama’s Global Health Initiative will turn its focus to solutions for the poorest, most rural areas around the world. A top diplomat discusses President Obama’s Western Hemisphere policy. Some effortless fixes can reduce greenhouse gases. Finally, meet African-American artist Joseph Holston.

Clinton on Civil Society
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Speaking at the inaugural Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls for more interaction between civil society groups and U.S. officials. At right, Clinton meets with Azeri civil society leaders in 2010 and emphasizes the importance of engaging with groups outside government that work to improve their countries.

Food Prices up 29% Worldwide
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The World Bank says global food prices have risen 29 percent from a year ago, driven by a combination of weather shocks and food export bans, which are forcing millions more people into extreme poverty. “This is (a) serious cause for concern,” says World Bank President Robert Zoellick.

Health Care for the World’s Most Needy
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President Obama’s Global Health Initiative will turn its focus to community-based approaches and health care solutions for the poorest, most rural areas around the world, says Dr. Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). “That is our battleground, and I’m proud to say that is where USAID will try to lead the fight,” he says.

U.S. Western Hemisphere Policy “Informed,” “Optimistic”
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President Obama’s Western Hemisphere policy is “informed, engaged, dynamic, collaborative and optimistic,” says Arturo Valenzuela, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Energy Conservation Targets
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Energy efficiency programs target relatively inexpensive and effortless fixes that can have a big effect on greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, many U.S. states are pushing ahead with energy-saving targets for power companies. Together, these states will help the United States reduce emissions in a significant way.

The final movement of Color in FreedomColor in Freedom: Journey Along the Underground Railroad
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Artist Joseph Holston creates art based on African-American subjects, saying he feels that African Americans should have “a voice through art.” His series Color in Freedom: Journey Along the Underground Railroad, which is currently touring the U.S., goes beyond the conventional understanding of the Underground Railroad as a historical episode and instead conveys a broader narrative about the African American experience. At right, the final movement of Color in Freedom shows the fruition of the struggle for freedom.

The Obamas in Hawaii / A New Breed of Crops / Art Behind Bars

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President Obama and his family are in Hawaii for the holidays, and so are dozens of White House staff and journalists. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency will put in place new rules to regulate greenhouse gases. For undernourished people who live in remote areas, a new approach called biofortification may bring healthier diets. Some of the wealthiest people in America are pledging to give away most of their fortunes to charity. And finally, explore a photo gallery of art created by prison inmates.

The Obamas in Hawaii
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The Obamas are vacationing in Hawaii this week, and they’re not alone. Dozens of White House staff and journalists who cover the president have also traveled to the island state. A president is never truly on vacation. There are always reports to read, public appearances to be made, and unexpected issues to address. At right, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama travel by motorcade on Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

New Emissions Rules
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The U.S. government continues to use federal regulatory powers to rein in greenhouse gas emissions, most recently focusing on power plants and oil refineries, which produce nearly 40 percent of emissions in the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will put in place new permit requirements for all heavily polluting industry, followed by specific greenhouse gas standards for power plants and oil refineries.

A New Breed of Crops
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Crop breeders are developing new varieties of seven staple food crops, each with high levels of essential micronutrients and each with potential for rewarding farmers who grow them with higher yields. This approach is called biofortification, and the goal is to bring healthier diets to people who rely on food staples for most of the calories they consume.

A Billionaires’ Pledge
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The two richest men in the United States, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, launched The Giving Pledge in June 2010, encouraging other billionaires, in the United States and abroad, to give away the bulk of their fortunes to philanthropic causes. As of December 2010, 57 billionaires have joined their campaign.

Photo Gallery: Art Behind Bars
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The Prison Creative Arts Project, founded in 1990 by University of Michigan professor William “Buzz” Alexander, helps prison inmates develop their creativity. The program encourages them to examine and even transform their lives. Explore a photo gallery of their work. At left, James Wilt’s self-portrait Yet Free, which identifies him by inmate number. The small cross in the upper left-hand corner is a symbol of his Christian faith.

White House Christmas / Kennedy Center Honors / Art Behind Bars

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Have a very Merry Christmas and see how the White House is celebrating the holiday this year. The Kennedy Center Honors celebrate those who “the power to inspire.” Young African business people are learning through a chamber of commerce exchange program. America has its first Bangladeshi-American member of the Congress. And, finally, creativity can still thrive behind bars.

Christmas at the White House
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Merry Christmas from America.gov! Explore the White House’s “Holidays at the White House” page, where you can tour the decorations, send “Season’s Greetings” messages to troops abroad, and watch behind-the-scenes videos. Each year a theme is selected for Christmas at the White House, a tradition started by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961. This year’s theme is Simple Gifts, a celebration of friends and family, hearth and home, and the simple things that bring joy at Christmas time.

“The Power to Inspire”
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A Kennedy Center Honor recognizes lifetime accomplishment by American performing artists and those from other nations who have achieved prominence in the United States. “The arts have always had the power to challenge and the power to inspire — to help us celebrate in times of joy and find hope in times of trouble,” says President Obama. The Kennedy Center Honors will be aired on CBS Television on December 28.

Africa’s “Rising Stars”
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Upendo Minja of Tanzania and Patricia Kafoe of Sierra Leone were exposed to new ideas on business and community development that they hope to implement in their African organizations during Chamber of Commerce board meetings in the United States. The two participated in a five week program designed to provide young “rising star” employees of chambers of commerce and business associations overseas with leadership skills and professional development in the United States.

Mr. Clarke Goes to Washington
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Hansen Hashem Clarke of Michigan will become the first Bangladeshi-American member of the U.S. Congress when the new congressional session begins in January. Clarke’s road to Capitol Hill mirrors the complex ethnic and social diversity of the United States in the 21st century.

Art Behind Bars
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The nonprofit Prison Creative Arts Project, founded by William Alexander in 1990, fosters the creation of original artwork in Michigan prisons and juvenile facilities. This creative expression is helping prisoners and at-risk youth examine and sometimes transform their lives. According to Alexander, all people have the capacity to create art — and to benefit from it. Left, a painting by incarcerated artist Maurice Scott which evokes the prison experience.

Obama Denounces Iran Attack / The Carbon Capture Challenge / Native American Art

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President Obama denounces a terrorist attack on a mosque in Iran. Reducing greenhouse gases is going to take more than cap-and-trade. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosts a town hall meeting to discuss the release of the first Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. Read our handbook on U.S. media law. The U.S. gives Jordan vehicles to help in its fight to protect intellectual property. Global citizens speak up about climate change. And finally, explore a photo gallery of Native American art.

Obama Denounces Iran Attack
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President Obama denounces a bombing attack targeting Iranian civilians in Chabahar as “disgraceful and cowardly” and says those who carried out the attack must be held accountable. “The murder of innocent civilians in their place of worship during Ashura is a despicable offense,” Obama says.

The Challenge of Carbon Capture
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Cap-and-trade and renewable energy alone likely won’t be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This reality has prompted governments and companies to increasingly look for new and unconventional solutions to the climate problem.

A Diplomacy, Development Review
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A newly released internal study of the U.S. State Department lays out a plan for better coordinating U.S. responses to crises, conflicts and natural disasters around the world. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, unveiled the State Department’s Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, which suggests changes in organization, coordination with other U.S. government agencies, and implementation of overseas programs.

Media Law Handbook
What are the privileges and responsibilities of a free press? In Media Law Handbook, Professor Jane Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota, explores how free societies answer this question.

Protecting Intellectual Property in Jordan
The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement donates ten vehicles to the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization headquarters to contribute to Jordan’s robust intellectual property rights enforcement regime.

Global Messages: Climate Change
America.gov asked people around the world to write a message to world leaders about climate change. We received responses from all corners of the globe. Read their messages.

Photo Gallery: Native American Art
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The artistic traditions of American Indians convey the resilience of the United States’ indigenous peoples. Thanks to the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies program, which installs art in U.S. diplomatic posts, global audiences can enjoy the talents of many American artists — tribal and otherwise. Explore the work in this photo gallery. At right, a portrait of the legendary Sioux chief Jack Red Cloud.

Protecting Americans Overseas / New Afghan Power Transfer Plan / An Interfaith Thanksgiving

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says it is important to protect Americans traveling overseas. A top U.S. terrorism official says cooperation among nation’s has been successful in fighting terrorism. At the upcoming NATO summit, a new Afghan power transfer plan will be announced. Through two different State Department programs, a group of Gaza entrepreneurs and a group of 100 young foreign legislators visit the U.S. Also, thousands of Libyans hoping to study in the U.S. attend an education fair in Tripoli. 19 artifacts illegally taken from King Tut’s tomb are returning to Egypt. And finally, a minister, a rabbi and an iman come together to celebrate an interfaith Thanksgiving.

Protecting Americans Overseas
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says it is important for the State Department and the American private sector to cooperate on protecting Americans who travel overseas. Speaking to security professionals in Washington, Clinton, right, says the Obama administration knows “how important it is not to withdraw from the world,” despite the risks that many private Americans must take when traveling.



Nations Team Up Against Terror
Cooperation among nations fighting the global war on terror has been remarkable in the nine years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, says Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, the State Department’s top counterterrorism official.

New Afghan Power Transfer Plan
The United States and its NATO partners are preparing to announce plans to transfer security control of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces to the Afghans by the end of 2014. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder says that in addition to Afghanistan, another key issue of the upcoming summit will be the adoption of a new 21st-century Strategic Concept.

Gaza Entrepreneurs Visit U.S.
Ten Gaza entrepreneurs recently made a three-week tour of America through a program sponsored by the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, an International Visitor Leadership Program entitled “Entrepreneurship and Business Management.”

Future Foreign Leaders Visit
More than 100 young legislators and activists from 17 countries came to the United States this fall to learn about U.S. government, to see the U.S. midterm election, and to engage in learning sessions hosted by U.S. law makers.

In Libya, a U.S. Education Fair
Thousands of Libyans hoping to study in the United States attended the “2010 Study in the USA Education Fair” November 6–7 at Al-Fateh University in Tripoli.

Artifacts Go Back to Egypt
Artifacts illegally taken from the Egyptian boy-king Tutankhamun’s tomb are going home, as the Metropolitan Museum of Art will formally return 19 artifacts to Egypt. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, hailed the return as “a wonderful gesture.”

An Interfaith Thanksgiving
Learning more about other religious faiths helps strengthen one’s own, say a minister, a rabbi and an imam. The three came together recently — as they have each year for the last five years — to celebrate a joint interfaith service of thanksgiving with at least 200 people from the three congregations. At right, Imam Abu Nahidian, Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer and Reverend David Gray.

Recapping the U.S. Election / Clinton’s Day in Asia / A Month to Honor American Indians

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The Republicans make big gains in U.S. midterm elections and President Obama offers his assessment. Secretary Clinton’s Asian travels take her to Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. Catch up with Brad Pitt and his effort to bring green housing to New Orleans. Learn about ArtsLink, a program that brings artists from around the world to the United States. Tajikistan is getting an energy boost. A 1,000-year-old Iranian poem is the inspiration for some awesome illustrations. And, it’s American Indian Heritage Month in America.

Election Gains for Republicans
Republicans gain at least 60 seats in the House of Representatives in U.S. elections November 2, more than enough to wrest control of the chamber from the Democrats. This means a divided government for at least the next two years, as Democratic President Obama shares power with Republicans in the House. Democrats retain control of the Senate, but with a reduced majority.

Obama: The Economy Hurt Democrats
The American electorate demonstrated its frustration with the state of the economy when it stripped Democrats of their majority in the House of Representatives and trimmed their majority in the Senate, President Obama says.

Clinton Praises Malaysia’s Religious Tolerance
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is praising Malaysia’s commitment to religious tolerance during her visit to the Muslim-majority country. “Extremism is not a path to building sustainable prosperity, peace, stability or democracy – it only promotes conflicts and hardens hearts,” she says. 

Human Rights in Papua New Guinea
During a visit to Papua New Guinea, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton encouraged the country to address its human rights conditions and to strengthen anti-corruption efforts. Clinton also offered to help the government set up a sovereign wealth fund to manage resource revenue from oil and natural gas fields, in order to translate “natural resources into widespread prosperity.”

Green Homes Make it Right
Make It Right, a foundation created by actor and film producer Brad Pitt, builds energy-efficient, green homes to replace housing destroyed in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. In three years, the foundation has completed 50 homes in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward. Another 30 are under construction.

ArtsLink Fellows Come to America
Visual artists, photographers, filmmakers and arts managers from 14 countries are currently enjoying five-week residencies in the United States under awards offered by U.S.-based international arts organization, CEC ArtsLink.

Green Energy for Tajikistan
The U.S. embassy in Dushanbe, Tajik government agencies and international partners, are working together to bring alternative energy solutions to Central Asia. The projects include the use of solar, water and wind power to provide energy to remote locations.

Shahnameh on Display
The Smithsonian Institution is celebrating the Shahnameh’s 1,000 years with an exhibition of some of the best illustrations ever created for Iran’s greatest epic poem. The Shahnameh’s stories cover the reigns of 50 kings, real and imagined, from the creation of the world up to the Arab conquest of Iran in the 7th century.

American Indian Heritage Month
November is National American Indian Heritage Month, which celebrates the heritage and contributions of American Indians and Alaska Natives — the first Americans — to the history and culture of the United States. Right, members of the Alabama-Coushatta Indian tribe from Livingston, Texas, wait to perform at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in April 2010.

Justice in Cambodia / A Storm Watch in Haiti / The Shahnameh

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During a visit to Cambodia, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls for justice. Preparing for his own trip to Asia, President Obama will focus on the economy at the upcoming G20 Summit and APEC Forum. In Haiti, aid workers prepare for a tropical storm. Find out what Islam teaches about protecting the planet. And finally, a 1,000-year-old book commissioned by Iranian kings is now on display at the Smithsonian.

Seeking Justice in Cambodia
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urges Cambodian leaders to confront their country’s troubled past by bringing to justice Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity in the 1970s. Clinton’s visit to Cambodia is part of her 13-day trip to meet with leaders of at least eight East Asian and Pacific nations. At right, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong greets Secretary Clinton at the Phnom Penh Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


Economy the Issue at APEC, G20
Fostering global economic growth through the Group of 20 (G20) advanced economies is fundamental to a lasting recovery at home, says a senior Obama administration official. The economy figures strongly into President Obama’s four-nation Asian trip that includes stops in India and Indonesia before the G20 in South Korea and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Japan.

Haiti’s Tropical Storm Watch
The U.S. Agency for International Development has 20 members of its Disaster Assistance Response Team in Haiti to help prepare the country for Tropical Storm Tomas, which could hit the island this week.

Islam and the Environment
Ibrahim Abdul-Matin was recently in Washington to talk about his upcoming book, Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet. Abdul-Matin says his book is written not only with the Muslim reader in mind, but for anyone interested in learning more about Islam’s connection to the environment.

Photo Gallery: The Art of the Shahnameh
The Poet Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh combines myth and history in the epic tale of a nation. The Smithsonian Institution’s Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C. is celebrating the book’s 1,000th anniversary by showing illustrations from grand editions commissioned by kings of Iran. At left, after a journey to the end of the world, Alexander (an important figure in the Shahnameh, known to others as Alexander the Great), encounters a talking tree that foretells his death. Explore this photo gallery featuring other such images from the Shahnameh.

A New Deal for Artists

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One of the great things about living in Washington, DC is all the free stuff there is to do around town. Being young and paid a paltry government wage, I can attest that this is more important than you might think. The best example is the Smithsonian Museums, which are all free of charge and host an ever-changing rotation of exhibits and events that make each trip back new and different.

Third Avenue

Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Institution: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=9182

An exhibit caught my eye at the American Art Museum in downtown DC recently that I plan to stop by soon. It is called 1934: A New Deal for Artists, and it features the art created under the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” At the height of the Great Depression, the Federal government paid artists to decorate public buildings and create works of art depicting “the American scene” because, according to the exhibit’s Web site, “Federal officials in the 1930s understood how essential art was to sustaining America’s spirit.”

Having not yet been to the exhibit, I can’t speak to all of that (though you can peruse the Flikr feed from the exhibit yourself to get a sense of that moment in time), but in doing some cursory background research on the project I came across an issue that still highly pertinent today: censorship.

Several of the New Deal cultural programs, including PWAP, faced problems of government censorship. On one hand, if taxpayer dollars are subsidizing something, shouldn’t it be subject to government regulation? On the other, the nature of art is inherently subjective, and the point is often to create discussion, so shouldn’t it also be free from restrictions? Last week I wrote about the power of art as a catalyst for social change, this week I’m reminded of its celebratory and revitalizing power. But all these strengths are undermined by the specter of censorship.

Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are two of the U.S.’s most sacred values, and a key component of any thriving democracy. In times of crisis, such as the Great Depression, it is tempting to curtail these freedoms in favor of solidarity, but that runs the risk of squashing new ideas that might offer solutions.

When President Obama spoke with future Chinese leaders in Shanghai last week at a town-hall style meeting, one of the great American traditions in freedom of expression, he said: “I think that the more freely information flows, the stronger the society becomes, because then citizens of countries around the world can hold their own governments accountable. They can begin to think for themselves. That generates new ideas. It encourages creativity.”

What do you think?

Drawing for Democracy

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On the last Friday of every month, democracy isn’t elections or protests or freedom of speech, it’s art.   That’s when Maira Kalman, an illustrator, author, and designer who teaches design at the graduate level in New York City, posts her monthly drawings on, And the Pursuit of Happiness, a blog about American democracy.    I cheered at her inauguration entry, and loved her Abraham Lincoln post, but March’s colorful edition is my favorite one yet.  In it, Ms. Kalman takes us from 16th Century England, to France in the time of de Tocqueville, to a town hall meeting in Newfane, Vermont, to a student council meeting in the Bronx.  Ah, the power of pictures.

This month’s entry by Ms. Kalman got me thinking: I own a copy of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, but I never finished reading it.  I’ve never attended a town hall meeting either (if I go, do I get to eat barbeque chicken and cornbread like the Vermonters?), nor did I serve on my student council.  Does that make me a bad citizen? 

Probably not.  Other than voting (and By the People blogger, Michelle, suggests maybe not even that), I’m not sure there’s anything everyone should do in a democracy to keep it going.  Some of us will read de Tocqueville, and some of us won’t.  I might not have been a member of the student council, but I did participate in my school’s mock trial team, role-playing lawyers and witnesses, and learning about the rule of law.   We all have our preferred civic activities.

So, while some citizens will attend town hall meetings, or run for office, or help people get to the polls on Election Day, others, like Ms. Kalman, will draw beautiful depictions of democratic life for the rest of us to contemplate and enjoy.  Ah, the power of options.