2006 press releases

U.S Ambassador Opens Art Exhibit of New Jersey Printmakers at ADG in Gemmayze

June 13, 2006

U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey D. Feltman opened an exhibit of New Jersey artists, “15 Years of Innovative Print and Paper” at the Association de Developpement de Gemmayze (ADG) on June 13, 2006. The exhibit, part of ADG’s annual Daraj al-Fann festival, welcomes the public from June 14-July 1, 2006. In remarks at the opening, Ambassador Feltman said: "Our participation here tonight is important also as sign to the Lebanese people that the U.S. Embassy is back on Beirut’s cultural scene."

The New Jersey artists and their works are representative of American diversity. Similarly, the variety of techniques used by the artists is wide-ranging from traditional etching, lithography and woodcut to photo imagery and digital processes. Forty prints or handmade paper projects are exhibited, revealing the richness and variety of expression, as well as the size and depth of New Jersey artist community.

The exhibit is part of the U.S. Embassy's “Prints and Piano” theme for the month of June and embodies its commitment to a reinvigorated Embassy presence on Beirut’s cultural scene. This month the U.S. Embassy will also sponsor American pianist Nina Drath’s performance of Leonard Bernstein’s The Age of Anxiety with the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra, Friday, June 16, at 8:30 p.m. The concert is free and takes place at l'Eglise Saint Joseph des Pères Jésuites in Monot.

Also in June, American composer and jazz virtuoso, Katherine Cartwright will present two concerts with the Lebanese composer Joelle Khoury: June 7, at Marignan theatre organized by Zico House; and June 20, at Amphitheatre Pierre Aboukhater, Campus des Sciences Humanités, USJ. Cartwright is spending the month of June at the Lebanese Conservatory of Music as a Fulbright Senior Specialist, where she will offer workshops and lectures in addition to her concerts.

Lebanese audiences have always appreciated American cultural offerings for their energy, originality and diversity. During the past three years, the U.S. Embassy has sponsored exciting events including improvisational jazz, modern dance, independent filmmakers, classical piano and gospel singing. With Lebanon now occupying a prominent place on U.S. policymakers “Freedom Agenda,” it is only fitting that the U.S. Embassy Beirut is playing a more visible role in Lebanon the cultural front.