The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan sees its 25th anniversary on 7 October 2026. The stakes remain urgent. For Afghan women and girls, the consequences are not distant or abstract, but present in the ongoing fight for education, safety, public voice, and basic human rights under Taliban rule.

In partnership with The Bush School of Government and Public Service’s Program on Women, Peace, and Security at Texas A&M University, Art Works Projects presents the exhibition Women Between Peace and War: Afghanistan, as part of the 12th Annual Texas Symposium on Women, Peace, and Security.

“The [Bush School] Program on Women, Peace, and Security is premised on a simple, thoroughly studied proposition: what you do to your women, you do to your nation. Conversely, the more secure women are, the more secure the nation is.”

Art Works Projects believes visual storytelling can do more than bear witness. It can confront abuse, challenge injustice, and move audiences beyond awareness to action. This gathering asks us not simply to remember Afghanistan, but to listen, to reckon, and to act.

This event launches “Art Works Year 20”—a year-long series of programs, events, and celebrations marking our two decades of visual advocacy for human rights and social justice!