25 Art Shows Reckoning With the US at 250
From Indigenous survivance to quilting to modernism, these exhibitions and projects reframe and challenge the story of the United States.
The word “celebration” doesn't feel especially appropriate when it comes to acknowledging the 250th anniversary of the United States in these trying times, but we can recognize that this milestone certainly presents both a welcome and critical opportunity for reflection.
As this occasion brings a wealth of complex emotions, intersecting perspectives, trailblazing innovation, and grotesque histories to the forefront, the arts landscape would rightfully remind us that it's worth commemorating our abilities to both document and channel these complexities. With that, art also provides us with the tools to not only imagine but also build our future.
Hyperallergic presents 25 art-related events across the nation that acknowledge the steps we've taken, the place we stand in today, and the undefined path ahead of us.
Rosy Simas: A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:' (i hope it will stir your mind)
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
Through July 5
Catch it while you can! The culmination of a two-year residency at the Walker, this exhibition of works by Rosy Simas (Seneca Nation of Indians, Heron clan) embodies Indigenous survivance through foundational Hodinöšyö:nih philosophies that emphasize compassion, community welfare, and peacemaking — especially today, when humanity’s deadly divisions feel the most insurmountable. Simas invokes the power of the circle throughout this presentation, highlighting how its protective nature, equitable shape, and symbolic endlessness become tangible properties in Hodinöšyö:nih beliefs and practices.
Women Across America: 1945-1979
Eric Firestone Gallery, New York, NY
Through July 11
Shifting between Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, the Washington Color School, and the Women's Art Movement, this show traces women artists’ groundbreaking contributions to and influence on post-war American art. Several key paintings are coming out of private collections for the first time, bringing together works by Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Sari Dienes, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Alma Thomas, Perle Fine, Jane Freilicher, Miriam Schapiro, and Betty Parsons, among others, for a multigenerational dialogue on the refusal of exclusion.
Indigenous Independence: America 250 at Gilcrease
Gilcrease Museum + Helmerich Center for American Research, Tulsa, OK
Through July 11
Rare manuscripts and archival materials from the Gilcrease Museum collection underpin the exhibition examining the decisive role Native American nations played in shaping the country’s founding, from diplomacy and alliance-building to conflicts over land and sovereignty. Highlights include a certified handwritten 1777 copy of the Declaration of Independence, pre-independence maps of Native American territories, historic texts and illustrations recounting Native relations with the French and British colonists through the French and Indian War and after the American Revolution, and materials related to Founding Father Charles Thomson, the secretary of the inaugural Continental Congress who compiled a detailed report outlining the Penn family’s mistreatment of the Lenape (Delaware).
America Today: Voices in Contemporary Print
The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA
Through July 25
This group exhibition reflects on printmaking’s role in archiving and shaping the history of the United States, and undresses contemporary American democracy to examine the integrity and resistance of its fabric by holding it over a flame. Curated across several themes informing today’s political climate, works by Natalie Ball, Howardena Pindell, Lehuauakea, Chakaia Booker, and several others representing six mission-driven print shops nationwide confront the history and futurity of the country as we stand at a crossroads.
