As we planned our 2026 exhibitions during the year of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we came together with our advisory panel to explore a central question: What is American art?
No single answer could hold it.
America is not a singular voice, but a chorus—layered with histories, shaped by movement, memory, and multiplicity. Art becomes the vessel through which these truths surface, each work an offering, each artist a witness.
From this understanding, we grounded our 2026 classes and exhibitions in the theme: We Hold These Truths.
This year’s Annual Member Show invites artists into that inquiry—not to resolve it, but to deepen it. Through their work, they offer reflections drawn from identity, origin, experience, and process, contributing to an evolving conversation about what American art has been, is, and might become.
These works form a living dialogue about who we are and what we hold to be true within our community. Here, we witness what happens when expression stops being polite, or when a truth unfolds rather than being announced.
As you move through the exhibition, consider your place within it. Notice how these works, in conversation with one another, invite deeper reflection—where understanding is not fixed, but continually unfolding.
Congratulations to Natalija Walbridge, artist of the 2026 AMS People’s Choice Award-winning piece, “Green Heron.”
Timeline
- April 21, 2026–July 10, 2026: Exhibition on view in the DAI Downtown Galleries
- July 14, 2026, 9:00am–5:00pm CT: Artwork Pick-Up Day. Artworks must be picked up from the DAI galleries during this time by the artist. Contact the DAI Exhibitions Manager by email, if alternative pick-up plans are needed.