Curating "America Abroad"

How do American art and architecture represent the United States abroad? AMERICA ABROAD: Art, Architecture, and Diplomacy, on view at Onera Foundation, brings together works by Carmen Herrera, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Julie Mehretu, Robert Rauschenberg, Carrie Mae Weems, and many others, alongside the architecture of America’s embassies, to explore how art and design have shaped the nation’s presence on the world stage—from the Cold War to today.

In conjunction with the exhibition, New Canaan Library will host a special presentation by its guest curator, Peter Reed, formerly Senior Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs at The Museum of Modern Art.

The presentation will be followed by a conversation with Reed, Laurence Lafforgue, Onera Foundation Executive Director and co-curator of AMERICA ABROAD, and Miki Porta, Adult Programs Manager at New Canaan Library. Together, they will explore the curatorial process, the relationship between art, architecture, and cultural diplomacy, and remarkable works from the FAPE Collection that are rarely seen on American soil.

About Peter Reed
Peter Reed was a member of MoMA’s curatorial staff from 1992 to 2020 and served as Senior Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design. He organized numerous exhibitions at MoMA and contributed to publications on architects including Alvar Aalto, Philip Johnson, Louis Kahn, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Reed holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in art history from the University of Pennsylvania and serves on FAPE’s Professional Fine Arts Committee.

About Laurence Lafforgue
Laurence Lafforgue is Executive Director of the Onera Foundation and co-curator of AMERICA ABROAD. Previously, she was a partner at Otero-Pailos Studio, founded an art publishing company, and was a senior partner at Ogilvy. She serves on the advisory board of the DAG Foundation and is a member of ArtTable. Lafforgue is a graduate of Paris Dauphine University and holds a certificate from the Aspen Institute’s Artist-Endowed Foundation Initiative.

This program is presented by New Canaan Library in partnership with Onera Foundation.