Yesterday, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art invited members of the press to tour the new Common Threads exhibit, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — the U.S.'s 250th birthday. It also marks 15 years of Crystal Bridges. The exhibit takes those milestones in tandem, offering a reflective yet progressive experience.
The first room contains a perhaps unexpected dose of nostalgia.
"I hope that this room was not really on anyone's list. I hope it was a surprise to most of you," said Larissa Randall, assistant curator of American art. "One goal of the exhibition for us was to surprise people, and also offer a range of visual culture and art, not only from 1776 in that moment, but up until 2026 now. So you will see Washington's face in a variety of contexts here, not only in our historical wallpaper — that we remade this 2026 version after an 1880s scrap. We also have collected a variety of souvenirs on places like eBay that could be on display here, alongside some amazing works from the Crystal Bridges collection, as well as the American Folk Art Museum collection."
From portraits to glassware to a memorial urn. It's literally wall-to-wall Washington. Randall references the small memorial urn to explain their thinking.
"When Washington passed in 1799, that was what we might call wave one of Washington mania. The country was grief-stricken across classes, across all different types of American culture. People wanted to remember this man that early. So you can see here, someone opted to make this memorial urn for him that was meant to be displayed in their home. You can also see him remembered in scenes like the Washington Monument, his tomb at Mount Vernon. You can see two landscapes from our collection of Mount Washington, present-day New Hampshire. There are so many ways that Washington's legacy perforates our everyday. And that is something we wanted to celebrate, be critical of, poke fun at — all of those things."
Next is the American Vernacular section, an exhibit that examines everyday life. Randall says this is the thesis of what Common Threads is attempting to convey.
"History is not only national and highly indisputable in some ways, but it is also something deeply personal. No two people experience American history the same way. What we're really trying to do here is offer a celebration of the multiplicity of American histories and also bring the vernacular, or sort of everyday domestic visual culture that we are really passionate about as 19th-century Americanists, into context with a variety of collection objects."
Following the vernacular section is a big-ticket item: an 1820 engraving of the Declaration of Independence, the first facsimile edition commissioned by John Quincy Adams. Wingate curatorial fellow Ella Nowicki says the inclusion of that and other historical documents explores how we find and document art histories.
"One of these answers is in 18th-century archival documents, as well as the visual context of revolutionary periods starting in 1776. But we also think about how documents might be contained in, for example, this 1840s Baltimore album quilt, in which lots of women came together in Maryland making individual squares and piecing them into an album. These are in some ways the works of many authors, many signatories, and they parallel the Declaration as a kind of container of history."
Quilts and other craft and tactile pieces of art are a common occurrence throughout the exhibit. Visitors can even watch one being made by local quilters.
Last year, the museum sent out 30,000 art kits to students across Arkansas. They contained quilt squares, fabric markers and a prompt asking students to imagine their memories and their hopes for this country. Once the exhibit opens to the public on Saturday, quilters from five different Northwest Arkansas guilds will be stitching and sewing live throughout July.
Randall says the emphasis alongside the medium is civic engagement.
"Whatever that looks like to different people. We're not prescribing Crystal Bridges' expectation of how to be politically involved. We see so much community activation as equally socially and politically valuable. So whether or not you're participating in building the American national identity through your sewing circle, through your public school, through your museum or different organizations you're a part of, we find that deeply valuable. And that's something about American culture that we very much want to celebrate through this project."
The activations don't stop there. The next room features a sliding-door painting from Titus Kaphar featuring Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, who was enslaved by Jefferson for the duration of her life. Guests can slide the painting to reveal Hemings— Another unexpected moment. After the activation, museum staff made an announcement about the artist.
"Titus Kaphar will be in residence with us at Crystal Bridges and the Momentary this year, so we're very excited to welcome him. And as Larissa mentioned in this way that he's working, there is definitely a performative element to some of the ways that he's been thinking about incorporating. As you may know, he's been making films, incorporating live music — really exploring some possibilities this year while he's here."
Nearby, the sounds of a typewriter can be heard. This is another work of interactive art, a performance called "The Spirit of Independence."
"Sheryl Oring, who we're witnessing in real time, is a journalist, activist and performance artist. I do have a copy of her newspaper with some excerpts from her forthcoming book, if you would like one. So what you're seeing here is about two projects — prints of a project she's been facilitating for over 20 years called 'I Wish to Say,' and the invitation to the viewer, to the public, is to sit down with her and respond to the question: What would you like to say to the future president? This new work, 'Spirit of Independence,' the prompt is: What does independence mean to you?"
Sheryl Oring will tack your response to the wall as part of the exhibit and send guests home with their own copy.
Touching, making and hearing are all integral parts of the America 250: Common Threads experience. Randall says many works have an inherent tactility.
"I think that's partially because something I take very seriously in my work as an art historian is that art made for and in domestic spaces is just as critical to American history and American art history as fine art that was made to be on display in museum exhibitions. So you'll see things literally made for the home or made to be mass-produced for the home. And that sort of familiarity with what you might have in your house today — if you have a George Washington mug or an amazing quilt — I think that's why that comes through."
Beyond the art, guests can engage with America 250: Common Threads in more ways this weekend. Crystal Bridges worked with TheatreSquared to commission three new plays in conversation with the exhibit that will be read in galleries throughout the exhibit this weekend. Additionally, on Saturday, a free, family-friendly celebration runs on Crystal Bridges' campus from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can visit crystalbridges.org for more on America 250: Common Threads and Saturday's event.
After touring the exhibit, one will likely be surprised, inspired and curious as to how the art and this country came together — and where it'll go from here.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
