Sheldon Museum: America's 250th Exhibit

Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln is using a new exhibition, “Hyphen American: Intersections of Identity,” to ask what American identity looks like in the country’s 250th year. (sheldonartmuseum.org) The show opened Jan. 24, 2026, and runs through July 5 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln museum. Sheldon says it draws entirely from the museum’s collection and examines “self-presentations, depictions of histories and struggles,” and the making of communities and rituals. (news.unl.edu) Christian Wurst, Sheldon’s associate curator for exhibitions, organized the exhibition and edited its catalogue. The museum says the project is presented in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Arabic, the four languages most spoken in Lincoln. (sheldonartmuseum.org) The 250th anniversary in this case refers to the July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence, which reaches its semiquincentennial in 2026. Sheldon says the exhibition uses that national milestone to focus less on a single shared story than on overlapping identities inside the United States. (news.unl.edu) The museum ties the show to Lincoln’s recent four-star “Certified Welcoming” designation from Welcoming America. Nebraska Today reported that connection as part of the exhibition’s framing, alongside a community committee that helped shape public programs and contributed writing to the catalogue. (news.unl.edu) That committee includes people affiliated with the Asian Community and Cultural Center, Lincoln Indian Center, Civic Nebraska, the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights, Southeast Community College and University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, among others. Sheldon lists 12 members in all, including representatives from Youth 250 and ECHO Collective. (sheldonartmuseum.org) The exhibition also anchors a run of related events this spring. Sheldon’s calendar lists an April 25 workshop led by artist Toan Vuong, an April 26 yoga session in the Great Hall, and a May 2 teach-in with OutNebraska on the history of queer spaces in Lincoln. (sheldonartmuseum.org) For visitors this week, America250 lists Sheldon’s regular hours as 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, with the museum closed Mondays. Downtown Lincoln’s event listing shows the exhibition on view at 451 N. 12th St. in Lincoln. (america250.org) The show’s argument is in its title: American identity here is treated as something joined by a hyphen, not flattened into one label. At Sheldon, the country’s 250th birthday becomes an occasion to look at who gets included when “American” is put on the wall. (sheldonartmuseum.org)