Michelle Obama hosted a luncheon yesterday for about 50 spouses (meaning almost all women) of chiefs of state and heads of government, reports the Associated Press. The event took place at the Studio Museum in Harlem, where she took the opportunity to discuss Harlem as a “quintessentially American” cultural gem and the importance of the arts. She also recognized many of the guests for their roles in providing more opportunity for girls and women in their home countries.
If the First Lady made her point about creating powerful women, Houston artist Robert Pruitt drove it home. After speeches and performances, the group sat down for lunch in the museum’s main gallery, surrounded by Pruitt’s exhibition Women, on view through October 27. The Studio Museum describes the large-scale conté drawings of black women as “at once politically charged, physically grounded and fantastic—a blend of willful self-determination and culturally conditioned myth.” Let’s hope the inspirational one-two punch of Michelle Obama and Robert Pruitt leaves a lasting impact on these international players.