At the height of the Cold War, when military weaponry was the ultimate requirement for world domination, President John F. Kennedy went against the zeitgeist with a bold idea.

He decided that the West and the US could spread their ideals and values ​​not with rockets, but with art. He founded the Art in Embassies arts program and turned American embassies around the world into exhibitions of the work of American artists. He firmly believed that artistic creativity could silently but eloquently convey a thought, open the minds of people, make it clear that real art is associated with freedom of speech and equality, in a word, with democracy. Sixty years later, the late politician’s pioneering program lives on and reigns, with thousands of exhibitions to its credit. For this special anniversary, a tribute called A More Perfect Union: American Artists and the Currents of Our Time was launched in Athens a few days ago.

This exhibition was organized as part of a collaboration between the US Embassy in Greece, the Arts in Embassies Program and the Delphi Economic Forum, which co-hosted the Partners in Democracy Symposium in Athens a few days ago. The topic of the meeting was obvious. We are at a critical crossroads in history, facing an unprecedented conflict between democracy and authoritarian rule. Our choice will determine our future, in what kind of world we want to live. The symposium, held at the National Gallery, heard diverse voices with broad perspectives on tackling the challenges facing democracy today, such as social inequality, disinformation, and the rise of autocracy. At the same time, the participants talked about how art can help strengthen democratic thinking, how cities can promote inclusiveness.

The day before opening hours, the Acropolis Museum opened an exhibition featuring some of America’s most famous contemporary artists. From Bruce Nauman and Yoko Ono to Ed Rasa, viewers have the opportunity to see how artists capture the most important issue of our time in their work. The group focuses on issues of equality, freedom, justice and other fundamental principles. During the year he will travel to many capitals of the world. It will be open to the public until today, May 30, and is under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.