Six US Museums Mark Semiquincentennial with Patriotic Exhibitions

To commemorate America's 250th anniversary, six cultural institutions across the United States have launched exhibitions and programming. At Woodmere in Philadelphia, 'Arc of Promise' features works from the 1790s to today, including Henry Bermudez's 'Miss America' (2019) and Hiram Powers' marble bust 'America.' Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts hosts a five-concert series from June 28 to July 5, with performances by The Knights, Conrad Tao, and Johnny Gandelsman, including two newly commissioned works. The Brooklyn Museum's 'Drawing America: US@250' includes 'Common Sense' with texts by Thomas Paine and works by Donald Moffett, Maynard Monroe, and Kara Walker, plus a sound installation by Moffett featuring a 1998 John Lewis speech. The New York Historical's 'Revolutionary Women' highlights Abigail Adams, Deborah Sampson, Phillis Wheatley Peters, and Margaret Corbin through letters and artifacts. Katonah Art Museum presents 'Diplomacy at Home' with objects from John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and the Livingstons, while the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston showcases Mary Whyte's watercolors in 'Salt of the Earth,' including the premiere of 'The Life Series.'