Through these works, Welcome the Stranger reinforces the Museum’s central themes regarding the basic principles for safeguarding liberty, including heroism, empathy, and the appreciation of diversity.

Micaela explains her motivation for this series of work as follows:
“As a first-generation American, I was brought up with an acute appreciation of America’s unique heritage of liberty for all, learning Emma Lazarus’ Lady Liberty poem [“The New Colossus”] as a young child… Seeing myself in others, I learned to cherish social justice and my civic responsibility to protect the rights of all citizens through education and dialogue.”

Micaela Amateau Amato is professor emerita of art and women’s studies at Penn State University. She is inspired by her Mediterranean ancestry from Iberia, Morocco, Turkey, and Rhodes. Her work is a reflection of her multiple personal and political influences resulting from her family’s migratory history.