MIRA Annual Art Exhibit

With the aid of the Puffin Foundation, Welcoming Missouri, an initiative of Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates, as part of Welcoming America, a national campaign to build mutual respect and cooperation between foreign-born and US-born communities, engages immigrant and welcoming communities in dialogue, through appreciation of and participation in arts. Now in its fourth year, Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates’ annual art exhibition is installed throughout the state during the fall and spring, with the help of coalition partners, and features concurrent cultural and arts programming, drawing disparate communities from all over Missouri together and creating a foundation for understanding and lasting change.

Competitive entries each year, with different media, including painting, printing making, photography and metal sculpture, and artist selection, all of whom are either Missouri based and/or are new Americans with focus on immigration themes in their work, together offer an exciting, rare and memorable window into the immigrant and refugee experience in Missouri and the United States. Without fail, each year’s unique exhibition and theme has stirred dialogue that continues beyond the narrative about culture, economics and human rights we are already familiar with, to challenge us all to bridge the gap between fear and understanding.

Additional Websites: http:/www.mira-mo.org