America.gov-The Arts: Introduction

White House Ceremony Honors Cultural Award Recipients

Michael Bandler — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:45:42 -0500

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush salute the recipients of the 2008 National Medals of Arts and 2008 National Humanities Medals, the most prestigious cultural honors in the United States. Legendary actress Olivia de Havilland, 92, is among the honorees.

Artist Fritz Scholder Redefined Native American Art

Lauren Monsen — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:12:16 -0500

Fritz Scholder: Indian/Not Indian, a new exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, examines the career and legacy of a groundbreaking artist whose work mirrored the complexities and contradictions of Native American identity.

Artist Finds Unexpected Opportunity at the U.S. Mint

Meghan Loftus — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:53:38 -0500

Joseph Menna, a medallic sculptor at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, is a classically trained artist. His drawing of George Washington was the model for one of the first presidential $1 coins. He talks with America.gov about his career path, his artistic endeavors and the coin production process.

U.S. State Department Launches Iraq Cultural Heritage Project

Lauren Monsen — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:24:37 -0500

First lady Laura Bush announces the Iraq Cultural Heritage Project, an effort by the U.S. Department of State to help Iraqis conserve and protect their country’s priceless historic artifacts. In her remarks, Mrs. Bush emphasizes the antiquity of Iraqi civilization, whose roots can be traced to the Bronze Age.

New Exhibition Celebrates Women Who Challenged and Changed U.S.

Meghan Loftus — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:57:50 -0500

The Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery unveils its newest exhibition, Women of Our Time: Twentieth-Century Photographs, on October 10. It features 90 photographs of women activists, artists, and athletes, and many others, who have made significant contributions to American life.

Ukrainian Famine Exhibit Re-examines Harrowing Loss of 1932–1933

Leah Dow — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:24:39 -0500

An exhibit at the State Department commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Holodomor, the 1932-33 famine in Soviet Ukraine precipitated by policies of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. “The Holodomor is an extraordinarily sad chapter in human history, all the more tragic because it was man-made,” says a State Department official.

Thousands Flock to the National Mall to Celebrate Reading

Meghan Loftus — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:20:46 -0500

The National Book Festival is held on the National Mall each year. The 2008 festival featured more than 70 authors and illustrators from many different literary genres. James Billington, the 13th librarian of Congress, welcomed participants to “celebrate our shared love of reading” on America’s front lawn.

U.S. Embassy in Beijing Honors American and Chinese Art

Yvette Ridenour — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:57:52 -0500

A new, permanent art collection at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing highlights the work of American and Chinese artists who find their inspiration in nature -- and in the fusion of Asian and Western cultural traditions. Their work transcends time, place, culture and philosophy, says the collection’s curator.

Muslim Filmmaker Looks at Social Issues with Humor, Warmth

Serena Kim — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:00:37 -0500

Although she defies expectations of what a Los Angeles filmmaker should look like -- she is young, female, devoutly Muslim and Indian American -- 24-year-old Lena Khan writes and directs music videos, commercials and award-winning short films. She addresses social issues with humor and youthful sensibility.

Political Cartoonist Herblock Skewered the Powerful

Lauren Monsen — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:19:37 -0500

As U.S. voters prepare to elect their nation’s 44th president, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery is exhibiting a selection of political cartoons by Herb Block (better known as Herblock), a famous cartoonist who poked fun at U.S. presidents for nearly seven decades.

New York City Museum Exhibits Drawings by Iranian Satirist

Carrie Loewenthal — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:17:07 -0500

An exhibition at the Asia Society Museum in New York City explores the work of Ardeshir Mohassess, an Iranian-born artist whose drawings and collages provide satirical commentary on the regimes that have ruled Iran from 1833 to the present.

Sports Films Celebrate American Brand of Perseverance

Yvette Ridenour — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:52:24 -0500

For more than 60 years, U.S. sports movies have celebrated the never-say-die spirit that emerges in the heat of athletic competition. The best of these films have illuminated the American tradition of finding a way to overcome overwhelming obstacles, sometimes even using the obstacles themselves as a path to victory.