History of U.S.-Afghan Relations “Remembered” in New Exhibition

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WASHINGTON D.C. – MARCH 24 – A unique exhibition titled In Small Things Remembered: The Early Years of U.S.-Afghan Relations is now on display at Meridian International Center. Hosted in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, the show features 81 reproductions of archival photographs and documents that recount the rich, historical ties between the United States and Afghanistan.

Images and facsimiles dating from 1911 through the 1970s follow the first collaborations between U.S. and Afghan engineers, educators, agricultural experts, journalists, and entrepreneurs; the numerous official visits between U.S. and Afghan diplomats and heads of state; and the face-to-face exchanges that connected ordinary citizens from both nations for nearly a century.

The photographs depicting a wide variety of activities – spanning so many years – have never before been assembled in such a comprehensive exhibition. This unprecedented collection was created in response to a request from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the U.S. Department of State to help advance America’s cultural outreach efforts in Afghanistan.

Meridian’s Art for Cultural Diplomacy team, which curated and organized the exhibit, relied heavily on the counsel and guidance of archivists and collections managers from the 44 lenders who generously provided the material. These included the National Archives and Records Administration of the U.S., the Library of Congress, the National Archives of Afghanistan, U.S. Presidential Libraries, university collections, and private individuals.

During the year-long preparation for the show, the Meridian team also consulted a network of people who shared memories about events that happened decades ago and half a world away. This included Afghans who organized specific initiatives, held leadership roles, or recalled key people and places, as well as American aid workers, scholars, and diplomats who provided insight into early connections between the United States and Afghanistan.

Through these interactions, notes Dr. Curtis Sandberg, Meridian’s Vice President for the Arts, the exhibition took on a very tangible human element and his team “discovered a fundamental truth: when American and Afghans work together toward a shared goal and value our respective cultures, there is little we cannot achieve.”

In Small Things Remembered is dedicated not only to those individuals who forged the historic bond between the two countries, but also to the next generation of young leaders who can use the wisdom captured in these images to build upon the accomplishments of their predecessors.

The exhibition is on display to the public free of charge from 2pm – 5pm Wednesday through Sunday in the Cafritz Galleries of the White-Meyer House, located at 1624 Crescent Place, NW. It will remain on view at Meridian until May 8, before traveling to various venues around Afghanistan.


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