THE “Picturing America” art exhibition was inaugurated by the US Consul General Martin R. Quinn at Nassief House in the Al-Balad district of Jeddah on Apr. 15, and has been exhibiting various facets of American artwork daily since then. Organized by the National Endowment for the Humanities in coordination with the American Library Association, the exhibition aims to promote cultural exchange in Jeddah and to showcase American history, culture, traditions and the values of leadership, courage, freedom and equality, democracy, creativity and ingenuity in the form of art. It is also an attempt to narrate the story of America to people in the Kingdom. “This week we are hosting an art exhibition jointly with the US Consulate to let our people know about American culture and history through the artwork of different artists in America,” remarked Sami Saleh Nawar, the General Director of Culture and Tourism at Jeddah Municipality. “This is part of the cultural collaboration we began with the Americans in 1996, and we have now struck a deal with the US Consulate and the governor to upgrade it to include Muslim scientists and countries and the culture of Saudi Arabia, particularly focusing on the contribution of Arab and Islamic civilizations to mankind.” “It (the upgraded exhibition) is still touring in America. We will develop it and it will then tour universities and schools across America,” he added. “Prince Majed, the former governor has donated funds for this program as well as Prince Khaled Al-Faisal.” The exhibition itself is composed of forty, carefully selected works of art spanning several centuries - all by different American painters, sculptors, photographers and architects. Every single piece attempts to enhance the study of American history, social studies, literature and civics. The featured artists range from early Native Americans to later painters like Mary Cassatt and Thomas Hart Benton and photographers include Waker Evans and Dorothea Lange. The work of architects like the incomparable Frank Lloyd Wright also made an appearance. Frank Lloyd Wright was considered one of the most influential and significant twentieth century American architects. His designed buildings - more than 400 - spoke of a genius mind. Indeed, it would not be wrong to say that his unique designs and ideas - deemed eternally futuristic and enormously functional - have influenced every sphere of twentieth century architecture, forming much of what we call “modern architecture”. Six themes dominate the exhibition: leadership, freedom and equality, democracy, courage, landscapes and the joint theme of creativity and ingenuity. The artwork was arranged according to these themes with the aim of highlighting these core American values. At Nassief house, the artwork was arranged tastefully, doing full justice to the prevailing theme of unity and mutual respect. On one side, artwork relating Saudi history was on display with artwork relating the history of Islam dominating the opposite side. Moving into the building, visitors were then fully catapulted into the world of America. Young Saudis were particularly enthusiastic about seeing the artwork on display, and demonstrated eagerness to discover more about the country and its people. “I love America and the American people, and this is a great way to find out about American heritage. I particularly like the pictures of great American leaders. Abraham Lincoln is my favorite,” said Khalid Al-Idrisi, an engineer who works for a private company in Jeddah. “We want to showcase out heritage to the world as well as to view theirs, and with these kind of exhibitions, we can do so easily.” His view was matched by others. “This exhibitions shows that the greatness of America was not achieved easily. It took a lot of time,” remarked Saeed Al-Ghamdi, a teacher at a private school in Jeddah. “Picturing America gives participants from the US the opportunity to share our nation's history and culture in a fresh and engaging way,” remarked Consul General Martin Quinn. “The program uses art as a catalyst for the study of America - the cultural, political and historical threads woven into our nation's fabric over time.” The nation's artistic heritage does indeed offer unique insights into the character, ideals and aspirations of the country and its citizens, and we should now aim for the same kind of demonstration of our culture, heritage and values in the United States.
