America in the Making
A new exhibition at the Addison Gallery of American Art examines how art throughout U.S. history reflects a growing national identity.
Art serves as a mirror of society, reflecting the historical, political, and social transformations that shape a culture's values, struggles, and identity. The Addison Gallery of American Art's exhibition, America in the Making, delves into how American art has documented these shifts, illustrating how artists have responded to and reinterpreted the conditions of their time.
From early portraits that recorded new social hierarchies and a nascent national identity to 19th-century landscape paintings that celebrated nature while promoting Manifest Destiny and American exceptionalism, American art has continuously expressed the ambition of a nation in formation. As the nation modernized, artists in the 20th century moved away from the visible world, embracing abstraction, the subconscious, and a new spirit of individualism and dissent.
Today, art remains dynamic and responsive to a rapidly changing world, grappling with urgent contemporary concerns. This exhibition marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and showcases a chronological installation of works from the Addison Gallery's permanent collection. The story of American art within this collection is not comprehensive or objective, but rather serves as a window into the conditions, values, and assumptions under which these pieces have been assembled and continue to grow.
Its strengths and omissions are reflective of its formation, influenced by individual taste, institutional priorities, and broader social and cultural forces. Thus, the exhibition not only tells a story of art but also offers a portrait of a collection in formation, mirroring America's ongoing state of development. For more information, visit addison.andover.edu.
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