Snapshots of Saigon

Snapshots of Saigon is running through October 31 at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, in the Lanham Gallery. It's a collection of more than 50 rarely seen photographs taken by Mark A. Kurtz, a Goshen native who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1963 to 1967—a stretch of service that earned him the Air Force Commendation Medal.

Kurtz spent a year in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966, working as a photo interpreter with the 13th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron at Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon. The images in the show weren't part of his official duties; he shot them on black-and-white film in his free time and developed the prints himself in a darkroom on the base. Because they came from his own camera rather than a military archive, they offer a Hoosier veteran's view of daily life in the city: the Air Force base, street markets, temples, and the people of Saigon. You'll find moments of joy and sorrow shared by American GIs and Vietnamese civilians alike.

The exhibition is presented by the Carter Family Fund, with additional support from The Emerson B. and Jane H. Houck Endowment for Hoosier Photography. It sits within the Indiana Historical Society's broader effort to bring the state's past to life through immersive experiences, and since Kurtz is a Goshen native, it's a local connection to a global conflict that most of us only know from newsreels and history books.

The History Center is at 450 West Ohio Street, and the show runs through October 31, open 10 AM to 5 PM Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is $15 for adults, $14 for seniors 60 and over, and $5 for youth ages 5 to 17. It's free for Access Pass holders, children under 5, IHS members, educators, and military.