WILMINGTON, DE.-The Delaware Art Museum presents Bridge of Hope: Iraqi/U.S. Art Initiative, an exhibition featuring approximately two-dozen works, mostly abstract, by nine Iraqi and nine American artists, on view March 29 – May 4, 2008. This exhibition is part of the Museum’s new Outlooks Exhibition Series and is guest curated by Rosemary Lane of Delaware , Coordinator of the International Cultural Arts Network (ICAN). Lane chose the American artwork, and the Iraqi works were chosen by Lamia Talebani of Baghdad, a founding member of ICAN and an Iraqi artist. Most of the Iraqi works were brought to US through Jordan by Claudia Lefko of Massachusetts , an ICAN founding member.

ICAN grew out of the 2006 Global Peace Initiative of Women Iraq-US Summit : Creating a Common Dialogue in New York City . This organization has initiated working relationships and collaborations between Iraqi and American artists. The purpose of ICAN is to engender hope, transcend barriers, and foster goodwill between our countries.

Exhibitions in this series are created by residents and organizations of our surrounding area, contributing to the Museum’s mission of providing an inclusive and essential community resource.