Immigrants find a home in President George W. Bush’s art at History Center

With refugees pouring out of war-riven Ukraine, some potentially on their way to Georgia, the Atlanta History Center’s exhibit Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants is both timely and multi-layered: The show’s 43 paintings are the work of the 43rd President, George W. Bush, who in 2007 pushed Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. The bill failed.

Whatever the former President’s thoughts about that episode, the exhibit, which opens April 12, is being promoted as a celebration of America’s immigrants and their “hard work, determination and unfaltering optimism.”

The metro Atlanta area has a long history of welcoming refugees. It was designated a center for refugee resettlement in the late 1980s and by 2016 immigrants comprised 13.7 percent of the metropolitan area’s population.

The title of the exhibit and the book that accompanies it are taken from the Great Seal of the United States that declares “E Pluribus Unum” (out of many, one), reminding viewers of America’s ability, at its best, to unite individuals from all backgrounds and cultures into one nation. Out of Many, One promises to present the immigrant experience in a positive light, with gentle reminders that democracy is a work in progress.

In an announcement of the exhibition, Atlanta History Center President and CEO Sheffield Hale said, “This exhibit featuring immigrant stories invites us to reflect on the complexities of America and . . . how each of us shape our own story and engagement with democracy.”

Continuing through July 4, the touring exhibit is also a manifestation of one of the most unexpected Presidential career changes in recent memory. The former President went from the Oval Office to the art studio and began to paint people who frequently face challenges in life — veterans and homeless individuals for instance — and now immigrants.

Out of Many, One features an interactive installation with immigrant stories compiled by the organization Stand Together as part of its Common Ground initiative, and an audio tour app narrated by the former President.

The portraits are on loan from the Ambassador and Mrs. George L. Argyros Collection of Presidential Art at the George W. Bush Presidential Center.