Overview
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, MMFA presents its second exhibition drawn from its collection of works of art, focusing on the history of the United States. America’s founding fathers envisioned a land of peace and prosperity, where individual freedoms were protected by law. The Constitution is the foundation of a country that has preserved a democratic society and nurtured arts and sciences that have encouraged innovation, setting the standard for the modern world.
As we celebrate the American people and their values, we also remember that the freedoms we enjoy today were not given but earned by generations who proceeded us. Along with triumphs came challenges in the form of civil war, world wars, economic depression, and political turmoil. These themes are the focus of this exhibition that tells America’s story with a journey through American art that spans the centuries, from portraits of the founding fathers in the 18th century to depictions of America as a modern, technological homeland for the people of today. The exhibition seeks to capture the essence of the American spirit through the lens of its rich artistic heritage.
Above (left to right): Thomas Hicks (American, 1823–1890), George Washington, 1867, oil on canvas, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, The Blount Collection, 1989.2.19; Fred Marchman (American, 1941–2016), Miss Liberty, 1986, from the Alabama Print Portfolio, lithograph on paper, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of the University of Montevallo, 1986.7.11
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
– Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus, 1883
Gallery
Organizer
Organized by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama.
Exhibition Sponsors
Annual support for exhibitions is made possible by the following sponsors and grantors:
Lead Sponsors and Grantors: Alabama State Council on the Arts, Art Bridges Foundation, Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC, Mr. and Mrs. Barrie H. Harmon, Ill, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC, Lamar Advertising of Montgomery, Mr. and Mrs. James K. Lowder, Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and Mrs. Helen Till
Sponsors: Mr. Owen Aronov, Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Runkle, Sabel Steel, The S. Adam Schloss Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Weil, III, Laurie J. Weil, D.V.M. and Dr. Tommy Wool, and Ms. Helen Crump Wells
Co-sponsors: Mr. and Mrs. Sam Adams, Alabama Trucking Association, AmeriFirst Bank, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin H. Campbell II, CAPTRUST, Dr. Robert Combs, Crum Family Charitable Foundation, Mrs. Camille Elebash-Hill, Harmon Dennis Bradshaw, Inc., Mrs. Ann Hubbert, Mr. and Mrs. John E. Ives, Mr. and Mrs. L. Daniel Morris, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Mussafer, Dr. Alfred J. Newman, Jr., River Bank & Trust, Russell Construction of Alabama, Inc., Ms. Micki Beth Stiller, Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Taylor, and Warren Averett, LLC.
Special thanks to the Alabama State Council on the Arts.
