Exhibits

The University of Michigan has numerous exhibits on campus to recognize the semiquincentennial. Learn more about the different exhibits around campus.
A phot of the American Sampler exhibit with people browsing the displays.

Jan 24, 2026 - Ongoing

American Sampler: Activating the Archive

American Sampler: Activating the Archive looks back to a period when protest reshaped the nation. Curated by MacArthur Fellow Julie Ault in collaboration with the University of Michigan’s Labadie Collection of political dissent, this eighteen-month exhibition transforms UMMA’s towering Vertical Gallery into a living record of activism.
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A photo of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library in Ann Arbor.

February 21, 2026 - December 03, 2026

America at 250: Reflections on the Bicentennial

The exhibit America at 250: Reflections on the Bicentennial explores how President Ford joined Americans across the country in commemorating the Bicentennial. The exhibit highlights some of the nationwide celebrations in 1976 and public gifts given to President Ford and asks visitors to reflect on our own Semiquincentennial commemorations.
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Plaster replica of Antonio Canova’s earlier marble sculpture of George Washington, who is dressed in Roman military armor as Cincinnatus, holding a tablet and quill.

June 18, 2026 - September 2026

"...there are in America, no Kings, Princes, or Nobles...": Caesar, Cato, and Washington.

This exhibition examines the echoes of ancient Rome that shaped the revolutionary spirit of the budding United States and how conflicting ideals of freedom and bondage—inherited from Rome—are baked into America’s origins.
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250 years through books

July 4, 2026 - December 31, 2026

Soul of America: 250 Years Through Books

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Larnell Gross, an Honors BA student in Political Communication, created Soul of America: 250 Years Through Books to share a personal perspective on American identity through the lens of University of Michigan Press books.

Browse the catalog