Art in Embassies

The UGA campus is replete with people doing wonderful work - whether teaching, making art, conducting research, or some combination of all of these (and yes, that does exist), so much goes on that it can be easy to miss some of the sublime trees for the enchanted forest. One of those trees would be artwork by associate professor of painting Margaret Morrison, which been on prominent display in the U.S. embassy residence in Tel Aviv since 2012:

AiE[Art in Embassies] falls under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State.  The Program was founded in 1963 with the mission of creating exhibitions of original art for display in the public rooms of U.S. diplomatic residences worldwide.  The residences serve as centers for official state functions, and the exhibitions provide tangible focal points around which to build public outreach.  Each exhibition becomes a part of the ambassador’s cultural mission. 

The State Department worked through Morrison's gallery to borrow Cat's Eyes or Marbles, and the painting has served as a backdrop for important discussions and speeches, lectures and interviews like the one here with Supeme Court Justice Elena Kagan. An extraordinary bit out of outreach and professional accomplishment mixed with patriotism and wonderful artistic expression. Congratulations to Morrison and our thanks for sharing.

Image courtesy of Margaret Morrison, the Woodward Gallery and Julie Fisher, wife of Ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro, United States Ambassador to Israel.