Event details

A wide-ranging curatorial conversation on the past, present, and possible futures of the American nation through the lens of art.

Hear from the curators of three exhibitions as they discuss how artists have grappled with the complexity and contradictions of the American experience. Part of Re-visioning America—a collaborative, community-based initiative organized to mark the nation’s semiquincentennial—the exhibitions explore questions of identity, belonging, protest, and cultural resilience.

Panelists include Judith K. Brodsky, Distinguished Professor Emerita at Rutgers University; Rhinold Ponder, founder of Art Against Racism; and Jun Nakamura, assistant curator of prints and drawings at the Princeton University Art Museum. Moderated by Karl Kusserow, John Wilmerding Senior Curator of American Art at the Princeton University Art Museum.

“What Is an American?”: Artists Reflect
On view through November 1, 2026
Princeton University Art Museum
Curated by Jun Nakamura

Borrowing its title from a large print by the Native American artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, “What Is an American?”: Artists Reflect addresses how ideas of “Americanness”—and the rights and privileges entailed therein—have been imposed, argued over, and redefined since the nation’s founding. Drawn from art of the past century, the exhibition includes many works that engage with acts of protest, resistance, and civic engagement, highlighting the struggles of various groups to attain equal rights and protections. Several artists invoke potent American symbols, phrases, and historical figures, while others look at how notions of Americanness can intersect with multiple cultural identities, countering narratives of a singular American experience. Together, the works demonstrate that the question, “What is an American?,” has never been straightforward, and they invite visitors to consider its myriad answers.

Echoes in Our Bones: The Empowering Legacy of Black Women Artists in American Art and Culture
On view August 29–October 3, 2026
Arts Council of Princeton
Curated by Judith K. Brodsky and Rhinold L. Ponder

The exhibition will explore how themes of identity, history, and cultural resilience have endured and transformed across generations. Pairings of artists from past and present generations will include Faith Ringgold and Bisa Butler, Selma Burke and Allison Saar, Mary Lovelace O’Neal and Julie Mehretu, Betye Saar and Tschabalala Self, Carrie Mae Weems and LaToya Ruby Frazier, Laura Wheeler Waring and Jordan Casteel, Elizabeth Catlett and Kara Walker, and Howardena Pindell and Shinique Smith. Through these connections, the exhibition will not only showcase individual artistic voices but also trace a lineage of creative expression that has contributed to shaping and defining American art.

Voices in Print: New Jersey Black Women Printmakers Shaping the American Narrative
On view September 2026–February 2027
Morven Museum & Garden
Curated by Judith K. Brodsky and Rhinold L. Ponder

This exhibition showcases powerful prints by Black women artists who are associated with New Jersey through living in the state, having been born and raised in the state, or teaching in New Jersey. Artists include Emma Amos, Camille Billops, Chakaia Booker, Vivian E. Browne, Nanette Carter, Nefertiti Goodman, Gladys Barker Grauer, Diane Victoria Horn, Carmen Cartiness Johnson, Nell Irvin Painter, Sondra Perry, Janet Taylor Pickett, Mickalene Thomas, Nette Forné Thomas, and Bisa Washington. Many of the works in this exhibition were created by artists who received New Jersey print and paper fellowships at the Brodsky Center when it was located at Rutgers University.

LATE THURSDAYS! The Museum’s Late Thursdays programming is made possible in part by Heather and Paul G. Haaga Jr., Class of 1970.