COLUMBUS, OH)– A new exhibit opening May 5 at the Ohio History Center in Columbus explores the story of Ohio’s largest current-day refugee group—the Bhutanese-Nepali community. About 20,000 Bhutanese-Nepalis now live in central Ohio after being forced to leave their native Bhutan and living for as long 20 years in a temporary camp in nearby Nepal.
Bhutanese-Nepali Neighbors: Photographs by Tariq Tarey showcases 30 photographs of members of the Bhutanese-Nepali community. Each photograph was taken by award-winning photographer Tariq Tarey and is accompanied by a narrative written by Doug Rutledge, which details each individual’s history.
The photographs emphasize the historic sequence of the Bhutanese-Nepali refugee experience; from living and working in Bhutan, to being forced to leave, the experience of living in refugee camps in Nepal, to resettlement in Columbus, finding jobs, buying homes and finally becoming American citizens.
The curators of the exhibit seek to humanize these stories through vibrant imagery of the individuals themselves. “We want to get museum visitors looking at the refugees in these portraits to see them as equals,” says photographer Tariq Tarey. “We want them to say, ‘This could be my uncle’ or ‘This could be my neighbor.’”
Writer Doug Rutledge says, “We’re trying to follow the tradition of Dorothea Lange whose photos of the 1930s Great Depression have become so classic that they are still the way we picture the human impact of the Depression.”
“This exhibit gives us an opportunity to tell Ohio’s stories in a new way,” says Burt Logan, Executive Director & CEO of the Ohio History Connection. “These New Americans are shaping the history of our state, and it’s an honor for us to share their stories.”
See the exhibit at the Ohio History Center located at 800 E. 17
th Ave. in Columbus. Museum admission is $10; $9/age 60+; $5/ages 6-12; Free/Ohio History Connection member or age 5 & under. Parking is free. For more information about the exhibit, call 800.686.6124.
Bhutanese-Nepali Neighbors: Photographs by Tariq Tareyis made possible in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically. It’s also made possible through support from Jewish Family Services, Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, United Way of Central Ohio, The Mrs. Robert L. Barnes Endowment Fund of The Columbus Foundation, Puffin Foundation West, Ltd., and Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services.
Ohio History Connection
The Ohio History Connection, formerly the Ohio Historical Society, is a statewide history organization with the mission to spark discovery of Ohio’s stories. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization chartered in 1885, the Ohio History Connection carries out history services for Ohio and its citizens focused on preserving and sharing the state’s history. This includes housing the state historic preservation office, the official state archives, local history office and managing more than 50 historic sites and museums across Ohio.
