Art/Cultural Exhibit to promote Peace Corps 3rd Goal and Celebrate 50 years of Peace Corps

As RPCVs, we hear often of our responsibilities to promote the Third Goal: “Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.”
Exactly what does this mean? What does this look like?

Now as we prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps, what does THAT mean? (Has it really been that long since Kennedy asked “Not what our country can do for us, but what can we do for our country?)

Let’s use this wonderful opportunity to tell the stories of the countries in which Peace Corps Volunteers have served; to celebrate the rich histories, the art, the culture, the peoples of the multiple places in which we have served.

Below is a proposal for a series of exhibits using the Express Pro office space/lobby on Main Street, Spokane. Phenomenal location and offers wonderful space to present our story!

Who: Inland Northwest RPCVs
What: Art/ culture / folk art exhibit to celebrate/tell the story of the countries in which Peace Corps has served or is currently serving
Where: Express Pro office space / lobby Main Street Spokane
How: RPCVs share their collective art and folk art items and the stories these pieces represent to display in Ira’ offices for a defined period of time.
We should also look for artists (visual, media, musical, etc.) who are in the Inland Northwest who are from the countries where Peace Corps has served (and may have been impacted positively from their experience with PCVs).
Sources to identify/find these artists: Embassy offices, consulate offices, local universities, newspaper articles, etc

KINDS OF THINGS THAT WOULD BE INTERESTING FOR THIS EXHIBIT:
Pictures from your experiences or of sights within the country…. Framed, no smaller than 8 x 10. Also digital images (.jpg that we could use in a digital frame for an ongoing exhibit)
Clothing… local traditional dress or ceremonial costumes (Example: Colombian ruanas!)
The “stuff” we all seem to have: baskets, crafts, batik, carvings, religious artifacts.
Also, do not limit your potential exhibit items to just those items from the country in which you served, but if you have traveled to other parts of the world where Peace Corps Volunteers have served, then items that you have collected from these travels.
Items that you are able to provide need to be identified so they can be returned to you after the exhibit. Also, need to provide description/story of the item you provide. Be available for the first Friday exhibit to share your experience with attendees (informal format).