Speeches and Transcripts
Welcoming Remarks for the Flights of Fantasy Exhibition Opening
Alexander Vershbow
U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
Seoul National University Museum of Art
July 5, 2007
Good evening! We’ve been looking forward to this evening for a long time. My wife Lisa and I find that one of the things we enjoy the most here is Korean culture and art. And one of the most interesting parts of our job as a diplomatic couple has been the opportunity to work with the ART in Embassies Program. At each of the three posts where I have served as Ambassador, the program has given us the pleasure of living with a wonderful and unique collection of Contemporary American Crafts in our official residence.
Here in Seoul, we open our doors for guests often, and it is a rare guest who does not notice the large wooden bird hanging from the living room ceiling, or the striking glass sculptures, or the bold quilts hanging on the walls. Bringing this exhibition, Flights of Fantasy, to such a spectacular new museum -- where it is open to the public -- is especially thrilling. It is also a tremendous honor for the U.S. Embassy, the ART in Embassies Program in Washington and for the artists themselves to be able to organize this exhibition in partnership with one of Korea’s leading institutions of higher learning, Seoul National University.
Most importantly, we were truly fortunate to work with many great people from our generous sponsors, AMCHAM Korea, Boeing, and United Airlines, to bring this outstanding exhibition to you tonight. In fact, this exhibition is the first of what we hope will be many public-private partnerships to promote cultural exchange, something that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice first proposed in January. This initiative hopes to bring private businesses together with the U.S. government to create programs such as this one that will help strengthen mutual understanding between nations and promote dialogue between people from various backgrounds and walks of life.
My wife Lisa often comments that contemporary crafts and jazz are similar in that they were both born on American soil. In that spirit, we have also prepared a musical performance by jazz musician Tim Strong that should top off what I hope will be a stimulating cultural evening for everyone here tonight. And if it doesn’t lower the standard of excellence too much, I hope that Tim will let me sit in for a number or two. Thank you for coming and enjoy the evening.