WASHINGTON — Nearly two decades after hearing "You're fired!" on NBC's "The Apprentice," Erin Scavino says President Donald Trump chose her to lead one of the federal government's least-known offices as it helps tell America's story to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary.Scavino, director of the State Department's Art in Embassies program, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview inside the Art Museum of the Americas that she never imagined she'd go from reality TV to overseeing one of the Trump administration's signature America 250 cultural initiatives.She said she views her appointment as part of Trump's broader effort to elevate American culture alongside American history ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary.WHITE HOUSE TOUTS TRUMP’S ‘BOLD VISION’ FOR TOWERING INDEPENDENCE ARCH FOR AMERICA 250Erin Scavino, director of the U.S.Department of State's Art in Embassies program, oversees the "Passport to Patriotism: 250 Years of Diplomacy" exhibition celebrating America's 250th anniversary.
(Courtesy Art in Embassies)"I was a day one hire by President Trump because just like we've seen with the Kennedy Center, he wanted to make the performing arts great again, and he also put me at Art in Embassies to make visual arts great," Scavino said.Although little known to most Americans, the Art in Embassies office has existed since 1964, placing American artwork in nearly 190 diplomatic properties around the world as a form of cultural diplomacy.Scavino said the nation's 250th anniversary offered an opportunity to introduce the program to a broader audience.Opening July 30 at the Art Museum of the Americas, "Passport to Patriotism: 250 Years of Diplomacy" will bring together more than 30 contemporary American artists whose work explores patriotism, diplomacy, military service, immigration and national identity in what organizers describe as a celebration of the ideals that have shaped the U.S.since its founding.The exhibition, presented through a part...