Back to Headlines
Lifestyle
Jun 19, 2026
Analyzed by Llama- 4 Scout 17B 16E Instruct

10 Museums to Visit for America's 250th Anniversary

AI Summary
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, museums across the country are showcasing exhibits that explore American history, culture, and identity. From Native American history to photography surveys, here are 10 museums to visit.

The Lead-Up to America's Semiquincentennial

As the United States of America reaches its semiquincentennial on July 4, museums across the country are grappling with what being American and celebrating the US means. Cultural institutions are digging deeper, highlighting American artists, imagery, and artifacts to explore the nation's history.

Museums Exhibiting American History and Culture

Below, the Guardian has assembled a list of exhibits at museums across the nation:

  • 1. Native Americans of New Jersey: Past and Present

    Lincroft, New Jersey. Monmouth Museum. Through 2 September 2026

    Curated by Dr Phoebe Farris, who is of Powhatan-Pamunkey descent, this exhibit was developed with guidance from Indigenous artists and authors, humanities experts, educators, and Monmouth University's provost.

  • 2. Much Here is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the US Bicentennial

    Washington DC. Smithsonian American Art Museum. 18 September 2026 – 18 April 2027

    Titled after a line in former US poet laureate Robert Hayden's poem American Journal, this exhibit includes selected images from photography surveys, documenting people and places from the 19th century to the years before and after the US bicentennial in 1976.

  • 3. America at 250

    Boston, Massachusetts. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Opens 19 June

    The MFA Boston is merging art produced by a wide range of artists – from Indigenous and non-Indigenous creators to Caribbean, North, South, and Central American makers – to grapple with nationhood and which symbols are celebrated.

  • 4. Facing Freedom in America

    Chicago, Illinois. Chicago History Museum. Opens 4 July

    Using images, artifacts, and interactive elements, the Facing Freedom exhibit asks viewers what their own contribution to freedom in the country might be.

  • 5. Containing Multitudes

    Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minneapolis Institute of Art. Through 2 August

    Named for the famous stanza in Walt Whitman's Song of Myself, Containing Multitudes seeks to celebrate 'the richness and contradictions' of the American experience through photography.

  • 6. Mississippi Made

    Jackson, Mississippi. Two Mississippi Museums. Through 6 November

    Mississippi Made tells the story of more than two centuries of the Magnolia state's agricultural, musical, scientific, and artistic contributions to the country through approximately 250 artifacts.

  • 7. We Make History

    Washington, DC. Anacostia Community Museum. Through January 2028

    Marking the nation's 250th anniversary this year and the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum's 60th anniversary next, We Make History shows visitors how communities in the DC area contribute to the country's story.

  • 8. America 250: Common Threads

    Bentonville, Arkansas. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Through 27 July

    Common Threads commemorates both the 1776 events that led to the nation's founding and the subsequent 250 years of American art and civic participation.

  • 9. The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol

    Fort Worth, Texas. Amon Carter Museum of American Art. 15 August – 3 January 2027

    With nearly 100 artworks by more than 70 artists, The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol uses arguably one of the most iconic American symbols – the Statue of Liberty – to explore themes of patriotism, resistance, and immigration.