Dear America
Dear America examines how artists have grappled with the question of what it means to be American. The National Gallery of Art brings together more than 100 works on paper spanning roughly 250 years, using images of the nation’s landscapes, people, histories, and ideas of freedom to present a wide-ranging portrait of the American experience.
The exhibition includes photography, prints, and drawings by artists including Carleton Watkins, Carrie Mae Weems, Thomas Hart Benton, Roy Lichtenstein, Rupert García, Thomas Moran, John Wilson, and Tonita Peña. The selection moves from historical depictions and national symbols to personal, cultural, political, and Indigenous perspectives.
When: April 11–September 20, 2026
Venue: National Gallery of Art, West Building
Location: West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G23
Tickets: Free. Admission is always free, and exhibition passes are not required.
Featured works: The exhibition includes Edith Magnette’s *Chintz with Portraits of George Washington*; Ed Ruscha, Art Krebs, and Audrey Sabol’s *Standard Station*; Carleton E. Watkins’s *Piwyac, Vernal Fall, 300 feet, Yosemite*; John Wilson’s *Gabrielle*; Carrie Mae Weems’s *Echoes for Marian*; Fritz Scholder and the Tamarind Institute’s *Bicentennial Indian*; William Home Lizars’s *Great American Cock*; Edward Savage’s *Congress Voting Independence*; Michael Jang’s *Aunts and Uncles*; Jacob Lawrence’s *The 1920’s...The Migrants Arrive and Cast Their Ballots*; Mitch Epstein’s *Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Six Grandfathers, South Dakota 2018*; Tonita Peña’s *Pueblo Parrot Dance*; Ansel Adams’s *The Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming*; Rupert García’s *Decay Dance*; and Roy Lichtenstein’s *I Love Liberty*.
Organization: Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Curators: Angélica Becerra, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow; Sarah Greenough, senior curator and head of photographs; Rena Hoisington, curator and head of Old Master prints; and Shelley Langdale, curator and head of modern prints and drawings. All are affiliated with the National Gallery of Art.
Support: Leadership support comes from the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust. Additional support is provided by the Edwin L. Cox Exhibition Fund and Daniel W. Hamilton.