In 1940 as German armies swept across Europe, an exhibition was planned for The Museum of Modern Art intended to address the rising global threat of fascism and cultivate faith in American democracy. Known as Exhibition X, the project was never realized.

As part of MoMA's Artists Experiment, Michael Rakowitz worked with cultural professionals in Amman, Jordan, to develop a performative reading from the extensive archival material for Exhibition X, rewriting it from a Middle Eastern perspective and creating a link between New York’s (and MoMA’s) place as a hub for displaced artists in the 1940s and Amman’s similar role today amid ongoing conflict in that region.

Michelle Elligott, Chief of Archives, Library, and Research Collections, will introduce her research into Exhibition X, and Rakowitz will give an introduction to his project. The script will be read by Rakowitz, Noura Al Khasawneh, Yazan Ashqar, Lama Altakruri, and Toleen Touq. Following the reading, Rakowitz will be joined in conversation by Sean Anderson, Curator, Department of Architecture and Design.