Learning beyond our limits: exploring cultures through art.

Leonardo da Vinci said that "the colour of the object illuminated partakes of the colour of that which illuminates it". This is as true today as it was 500 years ago. And it is as true for a work of art as for those who seek to find something deep within it. The articles in this section are a reflection of who we are and how we see others. Art can tell us about the world we live in--about the hopes and fears of an individual, and through the individual, about the meaning and importance of our heritage, our values, our spirit.

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Roberta Seret, remembering her time as a fellowship student in France, recalled how once a week the Faculte des Lettres would turn out its lights and become a cine club. "From the projector's magic lantern came images from filmmakers like Truffaut, Fellini, Bergman, Man Ray and Kurosawa, and I was transposed to worlds far beyond my imagination. For the first time, my mind opened to foreign cultures, which stimulated me to learn beyond my limits."

In fact, the United Nations was founded on the idea that dialogue should prevail over discord, that diversity is a gift to be cherished, and that the world's peoples are bonded as much by their common heritage as by their amazing individuality. Art does not define us according to background or passport. Paintings can depict the life and faces of an earlier time and place them in a context that we can understand today. Photographs can remind us of the importance of the individual and show us the damage that can be done to others. Films can make us rejoice in diverse cultures of the human race and cause us to reflect on what still needs to be done to ensure that these cultures do not vanish. Music can help bring young and old together. A book can be a communion between writer and reader, or a basis for a dialogue among many.