USBF organized and sponsored the first-ever tour of Baltic art in the U.S called “Baltic Art: Contemporary Paintings and Sculptures” in 2000. The exhibition debuted at New York’s National Arts Club, with special guest U.S. Ambassador to Estonia Melissa Wells, and presented more than 70 contemporary paintings and sculptures from the Baltics. The exhibition provided hundreds of viewers their first glimpse of Baltic art’s irrepressible expression before and after regaining independence. USBF organized the exhibition at the International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington, DC, and prominent venues in Houston, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Funding: USBF Board member Hamid Ladjevardi, USBF Board member William Altman, Baltic Transit Bank (Latvia) Audrey Gruss/Gruss Foundation, Ahmad Ladjevardi and Family, Marriott International Inc., Unibank (Latvia), Alexander Zagereos and individual USBF donors
