On the occasion of the OSCE Ministerial
Council meeting, held from 1 to 2 December 2003, the Dutch Chairmanship
presents the exhibition "Valuable Links. Jewels from the OSCE
countries", at the MECC in Maastricht. The exhibition will
be opened by Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Jaap de Hoop
Scheffer on Monday, 1 December 2003, at ....hrs.
After conclusion of the OSCE Ministerial Council
meeting the exhibition will be transferred to the Centre Céramique, also situated
in Maastricht, and will be open to the public as of 4 December
2003 until 30 December. In January 2004 the exhibits will be shown
in Sofia, Bulgaria, Chairman for 2004.
Not only all the 55 Member States of the OSCE, but
also the 10 Partners for Cooperation from the Mediterranean region
and Asia
are represented by the work of a contemporary artist, jewellery
producer or goldsmith, or by an outstanding and typical historic
piece. Some of the pieces have been created especially for the
exhibition and are related to OSCE themes. The exhibition was
curated by Veronika Schwarzinger (A).
What the exhibition highlights is, that although
the exhibits are characterised through their diversity, it still
is obvious how
artists from different countries have influenced each other.
This is also reflected in the OSCE community. The jewels are symbols
of the valuable links between the different nations.
For the catalogue published in conjunction with
the exhibition different authors were invited to give their view
on the role of
jewellery artists in present day society in general and related
to OSCE issues in particular. Dutch Poet Wiel Kusters provided
a poem on the theme.
To illustrate the scope of OSCE's work in the field
of early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict
rehabilitation
throughout the year 2003 the Dutch Chairmanship of the OSCE has
initiated a series of cultural projects conducted under the motto "Human
Security. A shared responsibility". The exhibition and the
publication of the catalogue form part of this framework.
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