The American story is a tangle of aspiration and contradiction, triumph and struggle, liberty and oppression. From the nation’s founding, rebels, radicals, and revolutionaries have shaped the course of American history through acts of courage and innovation as well as challenges to convention and authority. This exhibition presents artists whose works reflect that journey, celebrating moments of courage and progress while also confronting inequity and inaction.
Organized to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, America 250: Rebels, Radicals, and Revolutionaries invites visitors to reflect on the individuals, events, and ideas that continuously shape (and reshape) the United States. Rather than offering a single, linear narrative, the exhibition embraces the nation’s messy, complex history and recognizes that the “American story” is different for every individual living within the country’s borders. Some works celebrate defining moments in American history. Others turn our attention to often overlooked or deliberately omitted histories: the enduring legacies of slavery and Indigenous oppression, the struggles for civil rights, the fight for gender equality, and the ongoing pursuit of equity. Shown together, these works remind us that patriotism is strongest when we have the courage to face uncomfortable truths.
Rebels, Radicals, and Revolutionaries acknowledges that art has always been a powerful form of civic engagement. This exhibition suggests that the country’s greatest strength lies not in an imaginary flawless past, but in the ingenuity that a chorus of radically diverse voices calls forth. Just as artists have influenced how we view the past 250 years, so will they influence how we look at the events of today 250 years in the future.
Pepe Mar
Border Crosser, 2021
Mixed media on wood in artist’s plexi box, 72 x 60 inches
Everson Museum of Art; Museum purchase, Deaccession Fund, 2021.31
Wendy Red Star
Axúachisshish/Paints His Shirt Red, 2024
Acrylic, graphite, kitakata paper; acid free, handmade paper made from recycled cotton; screenprinted by hand, 30 x 44 inches
Everson Museum of Art; Museum purchase, Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Collection Fund, 2025.37
Ruth Rippon
The U.S. Presidents, 1977
Slab built and carved stoneware with luster overglazes, dimensions variable
Everson Museum of Art; Gift of the artist, Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, 2019.3
Banner Image:
David Huffman
Summit, 2023
Basketballs, wood, and acrylic paint, 120 x 120 x 120 inches
Everson Museum of Art; Gift of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco, 2025.30. Photo: Phillip Maisel
American 250: Rebels, Radicals, and Revolutionaries is supported by state funds secured by Assemblyman William Magnarelli. The Everson is supported by the General Operating Support program, a regrant program of the County of Onondaga with the support of County Executive, J. Ryan McMahon II, and the Onondaga County Legislature, administered by CNY Arts; and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
