KUWAIT: US Ambassador to Kuwait Alina L Romanowski hosted diplomats and a broad range of Kuwaitis at her residence on Monday for an 'Art in Embassies' reception. The guests included ambassadors, government officials, visual artists, curators, and most notably, Sheikha Hanouf Al-Sabah, wife of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah.

"Tonight, it is my pleasure to share with you a selection of 17 mixed media art pieces by American women artists. The artists featured in this exhibition come from a range of personal and professional backgrounds - immigrants, Native Americans, and both emerging and established artists," Ambassador Romanowski said.

"The works you will see tonight came to Kuwait from galleries across the United States through a US Department of State program called 'Art in Embassies'," the Ambassador added. "Through this program, I was given the opportunity to select these art pieces by American artists and have them displayed at my residence here in Kuwait."

Ambassador Romanowski highlighted one of the art pieces in the collection by Kuwait-born artist Zahraa Marwan, whose mother and brother were in attendance. "It is a special honor that one of the artists whose work is exhibited tonight, Zahraa Marwan, has roots in Kuwait," she said.

"During my time in Kuwait, I have been privileged to meet many of the talented Kuwaiti female artists who work across many mediums. I have enjoyed visiting the many local and historically rich museums in Kuwait, including the Sadu House, Beit Al-Othman, the Tareq Rajab Museum, and Al-Qurain museum, among others. The US Embassy stands ready to support creatives and artists in Kuwait."

The guests spent the rest of the evening viewing the all-female artist collection. The US State Department's Art in Embassies program has installed more than 70 permanent art collections in more than 200 diplomatic facilities in 189 countries.