The US museum Phillips Collection in Washington DC will put on display artwork done by emerging Pakistani artists.
The artwork is result of a series of workshops that were sponsored by the US Embassy in Islamabad. Selected in these workshops, 50 artists from across the country gathered at the National College of Arts (NCA) in Rawalpindi on Friday to display their work. Several art objects will be sent to the Phillips Collection for display. The US museum is already planning to host an iftaaf event during the month of Ramadan.
Rachel Goldberg, who works with the Phillips Collection, organised workshops and brought together artists across the country. She gave series of classes on the artwork done by Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), America’s one of the most important artists of the 20th century. She used Lawrence’s seminal “Migration Series” and challenged students to create their own narratives to depict important cultural events in Pakistan’s history, as Lawrence had done.
“Art gives us the opportunity to experience contemporary and historic social issues in a unique way,” said Peter Brennan, the US embassy minister counselor for public affairs, at the exhibition’s opening ceremony held at the NCA Rawalpindi. “The United States will continue to support emerging Pakistani artists who use their work to foster a better understanding of Pakistan’s rich cultural history.”
During her two weeks visit in Pakistan, Goldberg held workshops for about 100 emerging artists in Lahore and Islamabad, led training sessions for arts educators, and hosted discussions with art curators and gallery managers. She also taught underprivileged children and orphans at the Mashal School and the SOS Village how to use art to convey important stories from their past.
“There is so much artistic talent in Pakistan,” said Goldberg, adding, “I am inspired by what I have seen, and I will take back to the United States some of the pieces we created so that Americans can share in the stories told by Pakistani artists.”