The Unraveling: A Future Without USAID

An Exhibition by Ali Syverson at the ArtsXchange, presented by WADA  

A Voice from the Frontlines of Global Aid

In an era where global development is increasingly uncertain, Ali Syverson’s exhibition The Unraveling: A Future Without USAID arrives at ArtsXchange as both a wake-up call and a moment of reckoning. A self-taught visual artist and former USAID writer, Syverson has witnessed firsthand the agency’s impact around the world—from preventing the flow of plastics into the ocean in the Pacific Islands to energy projects in Pakistan. Now, as her own career with USAID ended in early 2025 following political changes, she channels her experience and conviction into powerful acrylic works and companion dialogues.

What the Exhibition Is About

Opening September 13, 2025, and running through October 3, this month-long showcase delves into an urgent question: What happens when USAID unravels? Established in 1961, the agency has been pivotal in global humanitarian efforts—delivering aid, bolstering health systems, and responding to disaster relief. Syverson’s pieces explore both the tangible and symbolic void unleashed without such leadership: fractured communities, environmental risk, lost opportunity, global instability, and a desire to rebuild and maintain connection in an increasingly isolationist world

Format & Experience

The exhibition promises a multidimensional experience:

1. Acrylic Installations – Artworks by Syverson guide the viewer through a journey of destruction, rest, rooting, and regrowth by depicting landscapes in flux, human figures caught in uncertain shadows, and environmental systems.
2.  Guided Conversations – By partnering with Syverson, other artists, USAID and local officials, and expert speakers, visitors can engage in panel talks, presentations, and Q&As, transforming passive viewing into active dialog on policy, climate justice, and civic engagement.
3. Educational Tie-Ins – Aligned with WADA’s commitment to meaningful and timely programming, the exhibit will feature open studios, published articles, walk-through tours, and possibly a collaborative mural project inspired by its theme.

Why It Matters

• Personal Testimony: Since losing her job and moving out of DC, Syverson has used painting to heal and reflect on what comes next in our country’s social fabric as well as in her own life and career. Syverson crafts a rare first-person narrative rooted in lived experience as a USAID insider turned independent climate communicator and artist—the authenticity of her voice gives this subject whole new resonance. 
• Art as Civic Tool: This isn’t art in isolation. It’s art as a civic platform—driven by workshops, public exchange, and storytelling—underscoring WADA’s vision of art that informs, empowers, and activates.
• Global Relevance, Local Canvas: Tampa Bay may seem far from Suva or Islamabad, but The Unraveling reminds us that global systems shape our collective future—and that art can bridge these worlds in our own backyards.

Event Details at a Glance

Voices from the Artist

Ali Syverson channels her dual identity as artist and global aid professional into narratively rich images marked by tension and tenderness. Her prior work—like her climate-focused solo exhibition Realms and nature-infused murals—echoes here, but now in a political key: a canvas for systems in crisis. Expect landscapes that feel lived-in yet endangered, figures who seem both hopeful and wary, and compositions that balance beauty and urgency.

Engage, Reflect, Respond

WADA’s framing of The Unraveling as both exhibit and conversation hub models a potent template: art that doesn’t just decorate but catalyzes. Expect talkbacks with Syverson and invited thinkers, and interactive installations exploring foreign aid’s reach into real lives—from food security in Ghana to air quality in Nepal.

Why You Should Go

• Educate Yourself – For anyone curious about how USAID shapes global response to disaster, poverty, and climate, this exhibition lays it bare—artistically and intellectually.
• Support Dialogues – In a politically polarized time, this is a rare moment to convene around big issues in an artful, inclusive setting.
• Meet the Voice – Ali Syverson is a storyteller; meeting her through panels or meet-and-greets offers a rare chance to connect with an artist informing public discourse.

Plan Your Visit

The ArtsXchange venue is fully accessible, with gallery hours aligning with Second Saturday ArtWalks (check WADA calendar). Membership in WADA unlocks complimentary access across programming. Non-members are encouraged to reserve their free or ticketed spots via warehouseartsdistrict.org as the date approaches.

In Summary
The Unraveling: A Future Without USAID isn’t just an exhibition—it’s a civic inquiry. Ali Syverson turns paint into provocation and gallery space into gathering space and policy conversation. In questioning what comes after USAID, the show asks us all: What comes next—and will we break or build?

Mark your calendars for September 13—this is art that matters.