America 250: Common Threads

In 2026, the United States will mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. America 250: Common Threads will both commemorate the events of 1776 and reflect on 250 years of American art and civic participation. An early engraving of the Declaration of Independence will anchor a group of historic documents displayed alongside textiles, paintings, toys, and other works from 1776 to the present. The exhibition considers how artists and national leaders document American history. America 250: Common Threads explores how American artists historically foster civic participation and strengthen community relationships.

Visitors will experience how people have celebrated national and personal moments in history, from a display of hundreds of 20th century patriotic snapshots to souvenirs collected from America’s Centennial in 1876. The exhibition explores the symbols artists turn to when celebrating or commenting on the United States: George Washington’s many faces, eagles appearing across books, baskets, and coverlets, flags seen as quilts or as documentation of the moon landing, and more. Contemporary artists featured in the exhibition, such as Robert Colescott, Kay WalkingStick, and Howard Finster, continue to revisit national symbols and explore their resonance. The exhibition will also feature live quilting, as local quilters and quilting guilds work in the galleries to piece quilt squares made by K-12 students across Arkansas and designed by artist Basil Kincaid.

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  Unknown artist, Crib Quilt, 1861-1875, cotton with cotton embroidery, 36 3/4 in. x 36 in. American Folk Art Museum, Gift of Phyllis Haders, 1978.42.1.

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  Robert Colescott, Miss Liberty, 1980, acrylic on canvas, 84 in. x 72 in. Art Bridges. © 2026 The Robert H. Colescott Separate Property Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photography by Demetrius Neal.

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  Giuseppe Cerrachi, Alexander Hamilton, 1794, marble, 25 in. x 12 in. x 14 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2005.23.

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  Marie Watt, Companion Species (Speech Bubble), 2019, reclaimed wool blankets, embroidery floss, and thread, 136 5/8 in. x 198 1/2 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2019.30. Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

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  McAllister Family, Show Quilt with Contained Crazy Stars, 1885-1920, silks, including satin, 55 in. x 54 1/2 in. American Folk Art Museum, Gift of Eleanor Knapp, 2007.9.1.

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  Unknown artist, Baltimore-Style Album Quilt, 1845-1850, cotton with wool embroidery, 84 in. x 82 in. American Folk Art Museum, Gift of Altria Group, Inc., 2008.9.3.

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  Vanessa German, Artist Considers the 21st Century Implications of Psychosis as Public Health Crisis or, Critical/Comedic Analysis into the Pathophysiology of Psychosis, 2014, mixed media assemblage, 40 in. x 55 in. x 26 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.92. Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

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  Thomas Paine, Common Sense. Addressed to the Inhabitants of America,...The Third Edition [with] Large Additions (Philadelphia: R. Bell, 1776), 1776, printed book, 7 7/8 in. x 5 3/16 in. x 1/16 in. Harlan Crow Library.

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  Mari Hernandez, Colonizer, 2017, inkjet print, 29 in. x 25 in. x 2 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.39. Image courtesy of the artist.

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  Gertrude Knappenberger, Quilt Centenario, 1876, algodón con bordado de algodón, 209.55 cm x 189.23 cm. American Folk Art Museum, donación de Rhea Goodman, 1979.9.1.

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