“Making Democracy in Greece and America” Educational Traveling Exhibition Celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence

U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle and Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni launched on Wednesday, September 16, the traveling exhibition “Making Democracy in Greece and America” at the Ancient Agora of Athens, a fitting and deeply symbolic setting for an educational initiative exploring the democratic ideas that have connected the United States and Greece for more than two centuries.  The exhibition, organized in partnership with the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA), is part of yearlong global celebration marking 250 years since the American Declaration of Independence.

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens is a natural partner for the exhibition. Since 1931, ASCSA has led the excavations of the Ancient Agora, helping uncover, study, and preserve the site and its democratic legacy, while serving as a longstanding partner in the protection of Greece’s cultural heritage.

Launching the exhibition at the Ancient Agora — the civic heart of ancient Athens and a birthplace of democratic practice — underscores the powerful connection between the democratic traditions of Greece and the United States. It was here that Athenian citizens gathered to debate public affairs, administer justice, and participate in government. Centuries later, ideas about citizen participation, liberty, justice, and government deriving its authority from the people would resonate across the Atlantic and help shape political thought in the United States. In turn, the American struggle for independence inspired Greek revolutionaries and American philhellenes during Greece’s own fight for independence.

During her opening remarks, Ambassador Guilfoyle noted:

“President Trump has spoken about the Freedom 250 anniversary as an opportunity to honor our extraordinary American story and to rededicate ourselves to the principles that have guided our nation for 250 years. Those principles were shaped for the first time right here, and I am deeply honored to be in Athenian Agora with you today. This exhibition tells a remarkable story, a story of ideas traveling from Greece to America, and then from America back to Greece.”

Minister Mendoni said in her greeting:

“This exhibition underscores  the highly important historical, intellectual and ideological dialogue between ancient Athenian democracy, the American Revolution and the Greek Revolution of 1821. Through historical documents, visual material and audiovisual content, it traces the evolution and dissemination of fundamental ideas such as freedom, popular sovereignty, legal equality and equal political rights, citizens’ participation in governance and the administration of justice, as well as individual and collective responsibility towards society as a whole. 
These ideas travelled across time and space, ultimately contributing decisively to the emergence and formation of the nation and state of the United States of America. Alongside these shared democratic values and historical roots, the protection and promotion of cultural heritage constitute another particularly important field of Greek-American engagement and cooperation. This exceptionally important joint effort, which continues to expand, strengthens the exchange of expertise and contributes to effective international operational cooperation in combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property. 
In recent years, Greece and the United States have demonstrated that they can cooperate highly effectively, achieving tangible and substantial results in this field. The trust that has been built, together with our shared commitment, provides a strong foundation for continuing and further expanding our cooperation in the years ahead”.

The Director of ASCSA Bonna Wescoat stated:

“We at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens wanted to work on the exhibition, Making Democracy in Greece and America because we value the strong intellectual connections between our two countries. Our exhibition offers a humble opportunity to continue a conversation initiated 250 years ago. This conversation about democracy was then, and remains today, one of our most vital concerns”.

The launch also highlighted the strong and longstanding U.S.-Greece partnership in protecting cultural heritage, with Ambassador Guilfoyle and Minister Mendoni announcing another new initiative that will further deepen bilateral cooperation. Through the Cultural Property Implementation Grant, the U.S. Embassy, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and the Hellenic National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), will implement “Return to the Light: A U.S.-Greece Partnership for Cultural Heritage Protection.” The program will support an exhibition of returned antiquities at the Ancient Agora, a Cultural Heritage School strengthening law enforcement cooperation against organized crime and the illicit trafficking of antiquities, and a public awareness campaign highlighting U.S.-Greek cooperation to protect Greece’s cultural heritage.

Following its launch in Athens, “Making Democracy in Greece and America” will travel to American Spaces in Thessaloniki, Veria, Xanthi, Corfu, Sparti, and Piraeus, bringing this story to students, educators, young people, and local communities across Greece. American Spaces in Greece are platforms for public engagement and learning that provide opportunities for young people and local communities to connect with the United States through educational, cultural, and professional programs and resources.

Designed as an educational resource as well as an exhibition,“Making Democracy in Greece and America” uses historical narrative, archival material, visual imagery, and video to make the history of democracy available to audiences across Greece. The exhibition will provide a platform for educational programs, lectures, and community engagement activities that encourage participants to explore the evolution of democratic ideas and their continuing relevance today. It highlights the intellectual exchange between Thomas Jefferson and Adamantios Korais, as well as connections across political thought, art, and public rhetoric that illustrate how democratic ideas have continued to travel between the two countries.

“Making Democracy in Greece and America” was created by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, which has conducted excavations in the Athenian Agora since 1931, in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Greece, and under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture. The exhibition is funded by the U.S. Department of State.

Exhibition Schedule:
American Space Thessaloniki: September 24 – October 2, 2026
American Space Veria: October 5 – 16, 2026
American Space Xanthi: October 19 – 30, 2026
American Space Corfu: November 3 – 16, 2026
American Space Sparti: November 19 – December 4, 2026
American Space Piraeus: December 7 – 31, 2026
Pop-Up American Space @ Karaiskaki: January 11 – 30, 2027