Ambassador Perry's Speeches

Art in Embassies Reception (11 mar 08)

Honorable ministers,
Fellow ambassadors,
Members of the diplomatic corps,
Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.

My husband Mr. Frederick Perry and I are happy to welcome you to our home tonight to officially launch the art exhibit that will be on display here during my tenure as Ambassador.  The Art in Embassies program is, I believe, one of the United States’ most beloved public diplomacy programs.

Established by the United States Department of State in 1964, the Art in Embassies Program is a global museum that exhibits original works of art by U.S. citizens in the homes of 180 American Ambassadors worldwide. The exhibitions are comprised of art loaned from galleries, museums, individual artists, and corporate and private collections.

I would like to thank all of the people involved in making this exhibit possible, including our Community Liaison Officer Jennifer Mullarkey, ART curator Imtiaz Hafiz, and our Management Section, led by Ola Criss and Dirk Rettberg, who hung the art so beautifully.  I would also like to thank Public Affairs Officer Danna Van Brandt and the Public Affair staff for all of there hard work in organizing the exhibition.

We hope the exhibit here will provide you and all our visitors with a sense of the quality, scope, and diversity of American art.  The works on display present the accomplishments of some of our most important citizens, our artists.  These works reflect the bloodlines of ordinary Americans.  As a people, our blood is heavily laden with that of our originators—native American Indians of many tribes.  Continents of origin for many others who came to America began in Africa, Asia and Europe.  Almost every American has Native American Indian heritage as well as African, European and Asian ancestors.  Out of all these groups, we have truly become one people, one family related through our mutual history and mutual ancestors from all walks of life, including that that of presidents.

“E Pluribus Unum”—Out of Many, One.  And that is the message we hope the people of Sierra Leone will take from this collection.  Although there are many differences—some of us began life speaking French, others Spanish, others German—we have become one people who support one president, whether that individual was our personal choice or not.  We unite strongly behind one leader since we know as former President Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided Against Itself Cannot Stand.”  Sierra Leone divided against itself cannot stand, nor can any other nation.

Thus, we as Americans are proud of our diversity, and I think the works in this exhibit capture the peoples who play a role in making the United States the dynamic country that it is. Edward Curtis’ photos illustrate the richness of Native American culture.  Gloria C. Clark uses the juxtaposition of photos and artifacts to portray the complex layers of African American family histories.

To celebrate the historical connections between Sierra Leone and the United States we have selected works that explore the symbolic elements of African American life.  Jacob Lawrence’s Revolt on the Amistad, depicts the uprising led by Sengbe Pieh, which has had a lasting impact on both our countries.  Rawn McCloud has explored the culture of the Gullah people of South Carolina and Georgia, who are descendants of Sierra Leoneans brought to the United States as slaves.

Some of the pieces you see here tonight are very dear to my heart.  Wayne Wildcat’s Crow Child, the magnificent young Native American girl in the dining room, and Robert Freeman’s Geranium Garden, the vibrant garden in the sitting room, were with me at my previous posting in Maseru, Lesotho.  I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share these pieces with Sierra Leoneans as I did with the Basotho people and glad to have these beautiful works in this, the home of the American people, yet again throughout my tenure as United States Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone.

Artistic and cultural programming has been at the heart of American diplomacy for many years.  Even in situations where the United States has found no common ground with host countries, art has the power to unite people who are otherwise divided.  In Sierra Leone, we are happy to share this exhibit as one of many points of friendship and cooperation.  I hope that you all enjoy the exhibit and will return to see it in the future.

Thank you very much for taking the time to enjoy the works of some of America’s finest artists who have agreed to share their works here in Sierra Leone.