Though the United States Agency for International Development is not well understood in this country, millions of people around the world know the United States only from the bold USAID shield emblazoned on a life-saving relief shipment tumbling from a truck. USAID’s earnest spirit was evident nowhere in Pei Cob Freed’s opulent new Reagan Building, of which USAID was the first major tenant. Accordingly, we gave this exhibit the appearance of a humanitarian shipment, and had it built from the most battered old shipping crates that could be found. Each module was designed to seem as if it had just been delivered. The five main modules take the form of large letters that form the acrostic “USAID.” Each letter heads a new topic sentence, such as “Assistance both public and private.”

This installation was created in four months on a very small budget that included all research, design, fabrication, and installation. Both the design and the fabrication of the exhibit reflect the client’s modest purpose.