The Cleveland Museum of Art announced April 16, 2026 a series of exhibitions celebrating the United States’ 250th anniversary, spotlighting American artists across multiple mediums and eras. The programming reflects the museum’s commitment to presenting work that connects visitors to the American experience, according to Director William Griswold, who stated that the exhibitions aim to ensure “all of our visitors can see themselves in their museum.”

Among the featured exhibitions is Martin Puryear: Nexus, on view through August 9, 2026 in the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Exhibition Hall and Gallery 224B. The show examines abstract sculpture by the American artist, born 1941, with a focus on global material culture and African American history. The exhibition is supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, Terra Foundation for American Art, and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Later in the year, the museum will present Spectacular Freedom: Andrew Wyeth and the Modern American Watercolor, running September 20, 2026 through January 18, 2027. Drawing on nearly 75 works from Wyeth’s estate — most previously unexhibited — the show pairs watercolors with tempera paintings and is presented by the Wyeth Foundation for American Art. A second fall opening, The Gift: Emma Amos with Friends, opening September 13, 2026 through January 24, 2027, presents 48 watercolor portraits Amos made between 1990 and 1994 depicting women artists, writers, and curators; the works have not been publicly displayed in nearly 20 years. Additionally, still/emerging: Native American Works on Paper remains on view through June 7, 2026, featuring approximately 30 works by Indigenous artists spanning from the 1950s to the present.

Public programming tied to the America250 theme includes free American Art History tours on Sundays from June 7 through July 26, 2026, and a Family FunDay on July 4, 2026 at the museum’s Community Arts Center on West 25th Street. Throughout 2026, special gallery labels written by ten museum staff artists and eight community members offer personal perspectives on American history and the American Dream.

Source: Cleveland Museum of Art