Former U.S. President George W. Bush is releasing 43 portraits of immigrants and it’s nothing short of beautiful

By: Rebecca Anderson

With the looming uncertainty of what seems to be a never-ending global pandemic, furloughs across national companies—including within the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services—the increase of filing fees for foreign nationals and threats of potential deportation for students studying solely online in the fall, the complexities of working in immigration relations can seem a bit, well, concerning.

But even in the darkest times, there is light. And that light comes in the form of previous U.S. President George W. Bush and his prolific output of amateur oil paintings.

Forty-three individual portraits highlighting different foreign nationals will be presented in an upcoming book titled Out of Many, One. The artwork will be published in March of next year in conjunction with an exhibition on the importance of American immigration.

In a statement given to CNN, Bush emphasizes how immigration policies should unify the country and remain a non-partisan issue.

“While I recognize that immigration can be an emotional issue, I reject the premise that it is a partisan issue,” he wrote. “It is perhaps the most American of issues, and it should be one that unites us. My hope is that this book will help focus our collective attention on the positive impacts that immigrants are making on our country.”

Bush has been known to criticize the current state of affairs, especially after the Trump administration turned away asylum seekers at the southern border in 2018. Many of those immigrants were escaping systemic problems such as gang violence, corrupt government and overall dangerous conditions.

Bush’s attempts to culminate cardinal issues through artistic expression isn’t new. Last October, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., hosted an exhibit titled “Portraits of Courage,” featuring paintings of men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces in the years following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Many of Bush’s other paintings have been on display at the presidential library in Dallas, Texas.

As an Operations Analyst at Park Evaluations, Rebecca Anderson works with the proofing team to review evaluation letters for candidates looking to attain their visa of choice. When not at the office, Rebecca devotes time to curating news and kickboxing.