“Read My Pins”

 We have always known, or at least suspected, art is a great conveyer of messages.  Apparently, art can also foster diplomacy. Pieces from former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright’s pin collection are on display at the Museum of Art and Design in New York.  According to the Huffington Post, Madeleine Albright loved to communicate her mood and diplomatic intentions to foreign leaders through her brooches.

The 200 pins on exhibit are not all valuable.  Many of them are inexpensive costume jewelry pieces.  “She started acquiring pins because of their inherent messages, their whimsical and pictorial quality, said David Revere McFadden, the museum’s chief curator.  “It’s not about jewels and gems, it’s about jewelry as a communication device.”

This story speaks to be me on two levels – as an artist and as a woman. This is further confirmation about the potential power of art – a recognition of art’s value in the face of those who question why anyone would major in art in college or pursue it as a career. I say yippee! to Madeleine Albright for her subtle use of an inherently feminine object to visually communicate important information. A man would not have been able to do this.  To read this story, go to http://tinyurl.com/clxhlq