George W. Bush is best known as the 43rd president of the United States.
However, he was also a painter!
On March 2, 2021, the George W. Bush Presidential Center revealed their newest exhibit, Out of Many, One. The exhibit featured 43 paintings of American citizens, each completed by former President Bush. However, what makes these paintings so special is not their artist, but their subject matter.
Described as a portfolio of immigration, the paintings in Out of Many, One all featured American immigrants—people from foreign countries who arrive to live permanently in the United States.
Why Immigrants?
Did you know that America’s population contains a wide range of backgrounds, vocations, and histories brought from other countries? People from all over the world come to America in search of greater freedom, economic opportunity, and living. However, this isn’t a one-way deal. Many immigrants and their children grow up wanting to give back to the country.
Thus, from inventors and athletes to actors and advocates—and from countries like Sweden to Sudan and Cambodia—immigrants make up a large population of America’s most iconic figures. Without them diversity, the country would be a shell of its former self.
In Bush’s words, they contribute to the “cultural richness, economic vitality, entrepreneurial spirit, and renewed patriotism” of the United States.
Even as a former President, he wanted to honor their contributions and commend them for shaping the America we know today. Along with his portraits, he published an accompanying book that tells their stories in detail.
The Statue of Liberty?
Historically, many immigrants arriving to the United States did so in boats. These boats docked in New York City at sites like Ellis Island, where passengers were greeted by The Statue of Liberty on its shores.
Therefore, to immigrants, The Statue of Liberty became a symbol of freedom, greatness, safety, and promise. It was commemorated in an 1883 poem by Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus”.
Read the Poem: Can you tie the Statue of Liberty to this message?
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
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Bush’s Testimony
“At its core, immigration is a sign of a confident and successful nation. It says something about our country that people all around the world are willing to leave their homes and leave their families and risk everything to come to our country. Their talent and hard work and love of freedom have helped us become the leader of the world.
Our generation must ensure that America remains a beacon of liberty and the most hopeful society the world has ever known. We must always be proud to welcome people as fellow Americans. Our new immigrants are just what they’ve always been—people willing to risk everything for the dream of freedom.”
THE LYCEUM 
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