The U.S. Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies (AIE) has launched a year-long art diplomacy for democracy initiative, the Democracy Collection campaign, to promote democracy through art. The initiative includes artist exchanges focused on rights, freedoms, and equality, hosted by U.S. ambassadors in various cities around the world; a traveling exhibition that reflects the story of U.S. democracy; a worldwide art competition for middle and high school students on the topic of democracy; and an expansion of the Art in Embassies repository of art for diplomacy with democracy-themed works. The initiative commemorates the 60th anniversary of Art in Embassies and will be celebrated on September 19th at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

The U.S. Department of State established the office of Art in Embassies in 1963, adapting a public-private program that began ten years earlier by the Museum of Modern Art. The exhibitions and collections created by AIE play a vital role in our nation’s public diplomacy. The works are carefully selected to reflect the pride and innovation of America’s cultural sector and to make cross-cultural connections in the regions and states in which they are displayed.

For further information, please contact Megan Beyer at BeyerMC@state.gov or visit art.state.gov.