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Addison Curator Tour Series: America in the Making

Part 1

The Addison Gallery of American Art's exhibition America in the Making fills the entire museum to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Explore the extraordinary caliber of the Addison’s collection from the 18th century to the present, offering insight into the ways art has not only reflected but also shaped, reinforced, and challenged an American society and culture that is forever “in the making.”

This is the first of a four-part tour series that will start with an overview tour followed by three tours that each examine a distinct era in American art.

• America in the Making Tour, Part 1: Join Addison curators for an exhibition overview tour that will briefly touch on each time period represented.
• America in the Making Tour, Part 2: Wednesday, November 18, 3pm - Curator Gordon Wilkins will delve into masterworks in the museum collection from the 18th century through the start of the 20th century. No prior tour attendance is required. 
• America in the Making Tour, Part 3: Tuesday, December 15, 3pm - Curators Allison Kemmerer and Ricardo Mercado will explore art of the first half of the twentieth century, from early modernism to abstract expressionism, alongside photographs and paintings that trace everyday life across the United States from the 1920s to the 1950s. 
• America in the Making Tour, Part 4: Friday, January 15, 3pm - Curator Rachel Vogel will highlight works that reflect the evolving possibilities of artmaking from the 1960s to the present.

Attendees need not attend all four. Space is limited and registration for each tour is required.

America in the Making will be on display at the Addison Gallery from September 8, 2026 - January 31, 2027.

Image notes:

Childe Hassam, Early Morning on the Avenue in May, 1917, Oil on canvas, 30 1/16 in. x 36 1/16 in., Bequest of Candace C. Stimson

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Drive-Thru, 2002, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 24 in., Museum purchase