Made About America

CENTURIES OF ARTWORKS have illuminated, romanticized and even criticized the state of our United States. Think of the determination of the first president’s face in Emanuel Leutze’s “Washington Crossing the Delaware” or the social commentary on race relations in Jean-Michel Basquiat’s gritty paintings of the 1980s.

This year, as the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the University of Maryland is creating, saluting and showcasing art about the American experience.

“The arts allow us to look back at a history that has highs as well as complications, and also help us find a way forward for imagining the future of our country,” says Craig Kier, School of Music professor and executive director of the Arts for All initiative. “They are a way in which we ensure that we’re giving everyone a seat at the table to have their voice be heard.”

Here are some ways Arts for All marked the milestone this spring.

At UMD’s springtime open house, collagist and printmaker Imar Hutchins led a community project to create murals featuring portraits and influential quotes of Marylander Frederick Douglass (above). Participants contributed to the paintings and responded to the quotes, reinforcing how individual expressions come together to shape a broader civic and cultural story.

The exhibition that closed May 9 at the David C. Driskell Center explored the complexities, opportunities, failures and triumphs of the American experiment through objects and images that interpret the power of the U.S. flag.

The annual competition co-hosted by the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Justice invited students to submit pieces in music, visual art, poetry and short film on the theme of this quote from former President Jimmy Carter: “In our democracy, the only title higher and more powerful than that of president is the title of citizen. It is every citizen’s right and duty to help shape the future legacy of our nation.” Biological sciences major Sofia Apgar ’26 earned second place in the visual art category for her work, “Between Us.”

This concert on Maryland Day presented songs and poems that have become anthems for communities throughout the U.S. Performed by UMD faculty, students and alum artists, the program included “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” “America the Beautiful” and “We Shall Overcome.”