WELLESLEY, Mass. – During her career, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Wellesley College class of 1959, famously used her jewelry to convey diplomatic messages. From June 9 through July 20, 2014, the Davis Museum will present the New England premiere of the exhibition Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection, which reveals an intriguing story of American history and foreign policy as told through Secretary Albright’s jeweled pins.
“I am delighted to bring this collection to my alma mater,” said Madeleine Albright, who studied political science and has since launched the Albright Institute for Global Affairs at Wellesley. “Wellesley was one of the first places that gave me the opportunity to engage with global politics, develop my political views, and explore creative ways to express those views--so it’s only fitting to bring pins and politics back to Wellesley.”
On June 16, Secretary Albright will give a talk and book signing at Wellesley. Read My Pins: a conversation with Madeleine Albright '59 and Wellesley College President H. Kim Bottomly, will be held at the College’s Alumnae Hall. The event is free and open to the general public. A private press viewing of the exhibition with Secretary Albright will be held earlier in the day.
In 1997, Albright was named the first female Secretary of State and became, at that time, the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. While serving under President Bill Clinton, first as U.S ambassador to the United Nations, and then as Secretary of State, Albright became known for wearing brooches that purposefully conveyed her views about the situation at hand. “I found that jewelry had become part of my personal diplomatic arsenal” Secretary Albright has said. “While President George H.W. Bush had been known for saying ‘Read my lips,’ I began urging colleagues and reporters to ‘Read my pins.’"
Organized by the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, this unique traveling exhibition features more than 200 pins, many of which Secretary Albright wore to communicate a message or a mood during her diplomatic tenure. Sparkling with Albright’s wit and energy, the collection is notable for its historic significance as well as the expressive power of jewelry and its ability to communicate through a style and language of its own.
The collection that Secretary Albright cultivated is distinctive and democratic—sometimes demure and understated, sometimes outlandish and outspoken—spanning more than a century of jewelry design and including fascinating pieces from across the globe. The works on view are chosen for their symbolic value, and while some are fine antiques, many are costume jewelry. Together the pieces in this expressive collection explore the power of jewelry to communicate through a style and language of its own.
Over the years, Secretary Albright’s pins became a part of her public persona, and they chart the course of an extraordinary journey, carving out a visual path through international and cultural diplomacy. A highlight of the exhibition will be the brooch that began Secretary Albright’s unusual use of pins as a tool in her diplomatic arsenal. After Saddam Hussein’s government-controlled press referred to her as a serpent in 1994, then U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Albright wore a golden snake brooch pinned to her suit for her next meeting on Iraq. Read My Pins will feature the famous snake brooch among many other pins with similar stories—some associated with important world events, others gifts from international leaders or valued friends.
The exhibition also showcases a group of Americana, which is at the center of the Madeleine Albright collection. One of her most original pieces is a pin made especially for her. The silver brooch shows the head of Lady Liberty with two watch faces for eyes, one of which is upside down—allowing both her and her visitor to see when it is time for an appointment to end. As demonstrated in this clever work, Read My Pins explores Albright’s ongoing impact on the field of jewelry design and collecting.
ABOUT MADELEINE ALBRIGHTMadeleine K. Albright is Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and Chair of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets. She was the 64th Secretary of State of the United States. Dr. Albright received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Obama on May 29, 2012.
In 1997, Dr. Albright was named the first female Secretary of State and became, at that time, the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. As Secretary of State, Dr. Albright reinforced America’s alliances, advocated for democracy and human rights, and promoted American trade, business, labor, and environmental standards abroad. From 1993 to 1997, Dr. Albright served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and was a member of the President’s Cabinet. From 1989 to 1992, she served as President of the Center for National Policy. Previously, she was a member of President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Council and White House staff and served as Chief Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Edmund S. Muskie.
Dr. Albright is a Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She chairs both the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and the Pew Global Attitudes Project and serves as president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation. She serves on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Policy Board, a group tasked with providing the Secretary of Defense with independent, informed advice and opinion concerning matters of defense policy. Dr. Albright also serves on the Boards of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Aspen Institute and the Center for American Progress. In 2009, Dr. Albright was asked by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to Chair a Group of Experts focused on developing NATO’s New Strategic Concept.
Dr. Albright is the author of five New York Times bestsellers: her autobiography, Madam Secretary: A Memoir (2003); The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs (2006); Memo to the President: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership (2008); Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box (2009); and Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 (2012).
Dr. Albright received a B.A. with Honors from Wellesley College, and Master’s and Doctorate degrees from Columbia University’s Department of Public Law and Government, as well as a Certificate from its Russian Institute.
TICKETS On view in the Bronfman & Chandler Galleries, timed tickets are required for this special exhibition. Available beginning March 2014, tickets are $18 for adults, and $9 for seniors (65+). Children (18 and under), and all students with a valid ID are free. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.theDavis.org.
CATALOGUE
A beautifully illustrated book Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box by Harper Collins publishers accompanies the exhibition and will be available for sale at the Davis. The publication, authored by Secretary Albright, reveals the full story behind the collection, and illustrates its best examples.
SUPPORT
Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection is presented with major support from the Kathryn Wasserman Davis ’28 Fund for World Cultures and Leadership, with additional funding provided by Wellesley College Friends of Art.
The exhibition was organized by the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, with generous support for the original exhibition provided by Bren Simon and for the exhibition catalogue by St. John Knits.
DAVIS MUSEUM GENERAL INFORMATION Location: Wellesley College, 106 Central St., Wellesley, Mass. Exhibition Hours: Open 11am–5pm, seven days a week, June 9–July 20. Closed July 4. Please visit www.theDavis.org for museum hours on other dates. Admission: Tickets are required for Read My Pins. Admission to all other Davis exhibitions is free.Telephone: 781-283-2051 Website: www.theDavis.orgParking: Free and available in the Wellesley College Visitor Parking lot, directly across from the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center. Please use the Central Street (Rt. 135) entrance and take the first right. Tours: Led by student tour guides; for information about scheduling visits for groups of 10-25 people, please contact Liz Gardner 781-283-3045. Accessible: The Davis and Collins Café are wheelchair accessible and wheelchairs are available for use in the Museum without charge. Special needs may be accommodated by contacting Director of Disability Services Jim Wice at 781-283-2434 or [email protected].
ABOUT THE DAVIS MUSEUM
One of the oldest and most acclaimed academic fine arts museums in the United States, the Davis Museum is a vital force in the intellectual, pedagogical and social life of Wellesley College. It seeks to create an environment that encourages visual literacy, inspires new ideas, and fosters involvement with the arts both within the College and the larger community.
ABOUT WELLESLEY COLLEGE & THE ARTS
The Wellesley College arts curriculum and the highly acclaimed Davis Museum are integral components of the College’s liberal arts education. Departments and programs from across the campus enliven the community with world-class programming– classical and popular music, visual arts, theatre, dance, author readings, symposia, and lectures by some of today’s leading artists and creative thinkers–most of which are free and open to the public.
Since 1875, Wellesley College has been the preeminent liberal arts college for women. Known for its intellectual rigor and its remarkable track record for the cultivation of women leaders in every arena, Wellesley—only 12 miles from Boston—is home to some 2300 undergraduates from every state and 75 countries.
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