Adair Margo ’83 has successfully blended art and politics, a feat not to be taken lightly.

As owner of Adair Margo Gallery, which opened in 1985 in El Paso, Texas, Margo shows the works of a wide variety of artists, ranging from historic regional paintings and drawings by the nationally renowned Tom Lea and José Cisneros to contemporary paintings, prints photography and sculpture by artists such as New Mexico’s own James Drake, Luis Jiménez and James Evans.

As chairman of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), Margo led a delegation of U.S. federal cultural officials to China in June to meet with officials from the Chinese Ministry of Culture. Margo was appointed to the arts committee by President Bush in 2001.

The delegation was invited to China by the Ministry of Culture, with the goal of signing an Implementing Accord for Cultural Exchange that will “encourage an active and steady flow of cultural exchange programs between China and the U.S.,” according to the PCAH.

While in China, the delegation visited sites such as the Shanghai Museum, Palace Museum, the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum, the Han Yang Ling Tombs, the National Museum of Art, the 798 contemporary art complex and the National Center for Performing Arts in Beijing.

Margo also is a member of the U. S. Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), appointed by former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

In 2003, Margo traveled to France with First Lady Laura Bush for the U.S. re-entry into UNESCO.

“Laura Bush, as our Honorary Chairman, has encouraged PCAH to strengthen ties to other parts of the world through arts and culture,” Margo said. “Our work is part of the Global Cultural Initiative she announced at the White House last year.”

Margo received a bachelor’s degree in art history from Vanderbilt University, studied Renaissance art history and Italian in Florence, Italy, and received a Master of Arts degree from NMSU.

“NMSU opened my eyes in many ways,” Margo said, “including how you can find different cultures in your own backyard.”

While at NMSU Margo learned of Franciscan Missions in New Mexico, a link to Italy with which she was unfamiliar. She wrote her master’s thesis on the Mision de Guadalupe in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

Margo said she wants her international work to give people a broader understanding of the world.

“My goal is for people to have a global perspective through arts and culture,” Margo said. “All of us want to be part of a larger world, to understand people in other places. My international work is a great vehicle for that.”