Art: Nonverbal Communication
By Brangien Davis March 30, 2015
This article originally appeared in the April 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.
Who among us can boast a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a killer brooch collection?
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright knows politics, and she also knows how to accessorize. Showcasing her policy of exercising diplomacy through pins, Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection at the Bellevue Arts Museum features standouts such as a golden serpent, a Lady Liberty with clocks for eyes and a ruby-eyed eagle gripping a pearl in its talons.
Albright became the nations first female secretary of state in 1997 during the Clinton administration. Her use of statement jewelry began earlier, after Saddam Husseins press described her as an unparalleled serpent when she was serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Albright responded by wearing a golden snake brooch in her next meeting with Iraqi officials.
Choosing her jewelry for its symbolic rather than material value, Albright says, I found that jewelry had become part of my personal diplomatic arsenal. I began urging colleagues and reporters to read my pins.
Read My Pins features more than 200 brooches Albright made a statement with in her career. The exhibition is organized by New Yorks Museum of Arts and Design.
Through 6/7/15. Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE; 425.519.0770; bellevuearts.org