Embassy Events
“Tolerancia”: Exhibit on Tolerance towards Diverse People Presents Slovak, American Student Art Work
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| Chargé D’Affairs Keith Eddins opens student art exhibit at the Rotunda, Košice. Credit: Ed Kemp. |
The Embassy, in cooperation with four Slovak art schools and with American curator Janeil Engelstad, on March 26 opened an exhibit, “Tolerance,” at student art space Rotunda in Košice. The exhibit is under the auspices of the Mayor of Košice and was part of the State Scientific Library’s two-day conference on Roma education and culture. Chargé d’Affaires Keith Eddins opened the exhibit, along with Košice School of Applied Art director Peter Cisárik, Košice City Council Deputy Tibor Matoušek and students from the Košice Middle School of Art who performed a song they composed in four languages, “Our World is Colorful.” The theme of the exhibit is how young people, in Slovakia and the US encourage respect for diversity and difference in their society through art. Students presented many aspects of this issue: respect for people of different background and economic class; for the handicapped; for ethnic minorities; and for religious tradition. The other schools represented are the Josef Vydra School of Applied Art Bratislava and the Middle School of Art Prešov. The American works are from two sources: a project, called “Color Wars,” that brought together members of opposing gangs in Los Angeles, and, “First Exposures,” in which professional San Francisco photographers mentored underprivileged teenagers. The exhibit continues until April 12. The Embassy supports projects throughout Slovakia to help integrate the Roma minority and to enhance tolerance and mutual understanding among ethnic and social communities.
