Much Here Is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial

Much Here Is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial presents an expansive portrait of the United States through photographs of people and places from the 1970s and early 1980s. The exhibition brings together selected images from federally supported photography surveys, placing the Bicentennial-era photographs within the longer history of documentary projects that have recorded American life since the 19th century.

Created to mark the nation’s 1976 Bicentennial, the National Endowment for the Arts funded more than 70 regional photographic surveys over six years. Inspired by the Farm Security Administration’s Depression-era photography, the program supported more than 200 photographers in documenting communities and landscapes across the country. In 1983, the Smithsonian American Art Museum received 1,000 photographs by NEA grant recipients, including prints from 13 survey projects. This exhibition features 225 photographs, including new discoveries and works that have not previously been shown, drawn from collections at SAAM and institutions nationwide. The title comes from Robert Hayden’s poem “American Journal”; Hayden served as the Library of Congress’s Consultant in Poetry from 1976 to 1978.

When: September 18, 2026–April 18, 2027

Hours: Open daily, 11:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

Venue: Smithsonian American Art Museum

Tickets: Free admission

Exhibition contents: The photographs are organized into four geographic sections: Northeast, South, Midwest, and West. Together, they document American people and places while exploring the continuing influence of federal photographic surveys on generations of artists.

Curators: John Jacob, McEvoy Family Senior Curator for Photography, and Krystle Stricklin, assistant curator of photography

Catalogue: A fully illustrated catalogue is available for purchase from the museum store and online for $65.

Organization: Smithsonian American Art Museum