The Partial Observer by David Hayes

Art Donations Prompt Invitation to White House

It started with an invitation to the White House and ended with accepting the nation’s thanks to my father at a state dinner.

As the son of the late American sculptor David Hayes, I am charged with advancing his legacy, work and reputation. Earlier this year, we donated several of his paintings to the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies, a public/private organization that works through the Department of State to place artwork in American embassies around the world. FAPE’s acceptance process is intensely selective.

This led to an invitation from Jill Biden to honor the foundation, donor artists, members of the diplomatic corps and others at a White House reception in October. The evening was followed by a state dinner the next night on the Department of State’s formal eighth floor, hosted by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

I had the privilege of meeting remarkable individuals, each with a compelling story. Away from news cameras, Dr. Biden is as warm and engaging as your favorite aunt. Others I learned from include Ford Foundation Director Darren Walker, artist Jeffrey Koons, sculptor Joel Shapiro, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson, art critic Robert Storr, historian and Pulitzer-prize biographer Jon Meacham, philanthropists Ronald and Jo Carol Lauder, and the magnificent Renée Fleming. I was also pleased to attend a private lunch at the National Gallery of Art the next day.

A state dinner is like none other. A forest of stemware, plates over chargers, fine cutlery, white-glove service, strolling musicians and, best of all, sterling conversation. There, I was asked to stand, and felt deeply proud and privileged to accept the nation’s thanks on behalf of my father.

Through gifts of American art, the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies supports the State Department’s cultural diplomacy efforts at U.S. embassies worldwide. FAPE is a public-private partnership dedicated to providing permanent works of American art for U.S. embassies worldwide. For almost 40 years, FAPE has contributed to the U.S. Department of State’s mission of cultural diplomacy by partnering with American artists whose works encourage cross-cultural understanding within the diplomatic community and the international public. FAPE fulfills its mission through site-specific commissions, original print and photography collections, preservation projects, and other arts and education initiatives.

According to art historian and critic Robert Storr, “All artworks commissioned or placed by FAPE are by American artists and are gifts, representing the generosity and patriotism of some of the United States’ greatest artists and donors.”

The White House reception and state dinner were preceded the previous day by a sit-down dinner at the French ambassador’s residence in conjunction with the French Heritage Society, an organization that raises funds for the restoration of historic French buildings including the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.

My father’s work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim in New York, plus some hundred major North American holdings. Locally, David Hayes sculptures have been exhibited on the campus of Hartwick College, at Hartwick’s Yager Museum of Art & Culture, at the SUNY Oneonta campus, plus Project Space gallery, and outside of the Community Arts Network of Oneonta’s building on Ford Avenue.

David Hayes is president of the David Hayes Art Foundation in Coventry, Connecticut and a former resident of Oneonta.