Art at the Edge of the World: Common Grounds 

Curated by Dr. Erich Keel at the Arts Club of Washington 

Opening Reception: November 6, 5–7 p.m.

On View: November 6–28

By Celine Ford, President Emerita, AAFSW 

AAFSW is proud to present Art at the Edge of the World: Common Grounds as part of its 2026 Art and Diplomacy Series, reaffirming the organization’s longstanding commitment to supporting visual artists within the American foreign affairs community. This year’s exhibition celebrates the creativity of Foreign Service employees, spouses, and partners, whose global journeys shape distinctive artistic voices and compelling visual narratives. The show reflects the perspectives, experiences, and imaginative pathways formed through life and service abroad.

Common Grounds offers a vivid encounter with creativity born at the intersection of culture, geography, and diplomacy. The exhibition highlights works shaped by global service, canvases informed by lives lived in motion and by the continual crossing of borders, both literally and figurative. The title speaks to a dual identity: these artists are not only practitioners of their craft but interpreters of culture, witnesses to conflict and beauty, and storytellers of the unseen. Common Grounds evokes shared humanity and the spaces where connection transcends language, borders, and tradition.

The Arts Club of Washington is a cultural landmark housed in the historic Monroe House. Built in 1802 and once home to James Monroe during his tenure as Secretary of State, the residence has long been a patron of the city’s artistic and intellectual life. Since 1916, when Washington artists established the Arts Club within its walls, the institution has cultivated an inclusive environment devoted to painting, sculpture, photography, music, drama, and the preservation of cultural heritage. 

Curator Dr. Erich Keel brings a dynamic, worldly sensibility to Common Grounds. A respected museum educator and former Head of Education at the Kreeger Museum, Dr. Keel is known for illuminating the cultural crossings and personal histories embedded in works of art. His interpretive approach, rooted in accessibility, curiosity, and the belief that art speaks across borders, makes him an inspired match for an exhibition shaped by diplomatic life. At the Arts Club, he approaches each show as a conversation between artists and audiences, inviting viewers to engage with the deeper stories that inform creative expression.

The artists selected for this exhibition, Elizabeth Deng, Marina DiCarlo, Randa Fakes Logerfo, Jamie Hurst, Irina Lawton, Vincent Moore, Janet Olson, and Andrea Salzman, share a sensibility shaped by movement across cultures and continents. Their work emerges from immersion in diverse environments: bustling capitals, remote postings, countries in transition, and places rich in artistic tradition. Working across painting, photography, mixed media, fiber arts, and layered acrylics, they translate lived experience into visual form, capturing the emotional undercurrents of diplomatic life, shifting identities, cultural encounters, and the continual negotiation between worlds. Together, they offer a compelling cross‑cultural narrative that reflects how global service shapes artistic voice, material choices, and the stories they choose to tell.

Common Grounds stands at the intersection of AAFSW’s mission to uplift foreign affairs artists, the Arts Club of Washington’s dedication to fostering artistic community and preserving cultural heritage, and Dr. Keel’s belief in art as a powerful interpretive lens. 

AAFSW is deeply grateful to Christina Jin, Gallery Manager, Dr. Erich Keel, and the Arts Club of Washington for their generous partnership, guidance, and support in bringing this exhibition to life.

We look forward to your support.