By Mary Jeffers
“Heroes and Artists Come to the Pan American Union to be Consecrated, 1962” by Nicaraguan artist Asilia Guillen
At the edge of the National Mall, hardly more than a stone’s throw from the Department of State, is the Art Museum of the Americas, one of the world’s leading collections of modern and contemporary art from the Western Hemisphere.
The Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) forms part of the Organization of American States (OAS), and is an increasingly important public diplomacy tool in furthering the OAS’s goal of promoting democracy, peace, justice, and solidarity among its 35 member countries – one of which, of course, is the United States.
Not only does the AMA hold a fantastic collection, it is housed in a jewel of a building, and regularly hosts art openings, receptions, concerts, lectures and other events – thanks in part to the private non-profit “Friends of the AMA,” the other half of a vigorous public-private partnership dating back to the 1970’s.
PDAA members with an interest in Western Hemisphere affairs and/or cultural diplomacy will be intrigued by this unique art museum, and even more so by the fascinating history of the museum’s collection and how it came into being. Continue reading here.
