Trenton, NJ - The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum is pleased to present the new exhibition 鈥淪pirit of 鈥�76: The Bicentennial鈥� as part of their celebration of America鈥檚 250th. Opening February 14, the exhibition examines the multitude of ways governments, businesses, and citizens reflected upon and marked the 200th anniversary of the nation鈥檚 independence. In the midst of the turmoil of the early 1970s, officials looked to the Bicentennial as an opportunity for Americans to forget their differences and rally together around pride and patriotism for their shared country. Celebrating the distinct look and feel of 1970s America, the exhibition will be on view on the Museum鈥檚 second floor Riverside gallery through February 2027 and is supported in part by the Beulah L. Brinker Fund through the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum Foundation.
Drawing exclusively from the State Museum鈥檚 own collection, the exhibition showcases an assortment of rarely seen artifacts and artworks produced 50 years ago for the Bicentennial. Highlights include the Kent Bicentennial Portfolio, a collection of lithographs and screen prints commissioned from twelve artists including Jacob Lawrence and Robert Indiana, whose visually-stunning works are responses to the prompt 鈥渨hat does independence mean to me?鈥� Historical artifacts include 吃瓜黑料 state government-issued items like license plates and maps, flags made by the Annin Company of Verona, commemorative medallions, ceramic works by Trenton porcelain firms Cybis, Boehm, and Lenox; and a handcrafted album quilt from Princeton. The exhibition also includes artworks and artifacts honoring the famed 鈥淭en Crucial Days,鈥� the period between December 25, 1776 and January 3, 1777, when George Washington crossed the Delaware River near Trenton and turned the tide of the Revolutionary War.
According to Nicholas Ciotola, NJ State Museum鈥檚 Curator of Cultural History, 鈥淭his year the nation is celebrating its 250th anniversary. But it鈥檚 also the 50-year anniversary of the Bicentennial, a long-overlooked chapter of recent American history that is equally deserving of remembrance. In 1976, not unlike today, Americans were wrestling with issues of belonging, equity and patriotism and channeled their feelings about the country in a variety of different ways 鈥� socially, politically, and, most importantly for this exhibit, artistically.鈥�
The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum is open Tuesday - Sunday, 9:00 am to 4:45 pm; closed on all State holidays. General admission is free. For additional information visit www.statemuseum.nj.gov, like the Museum鈥檚 Facebook page (@NJStateMuseum), and follow us on X (njstatemuseum), Instagram (nj_statemuseum), Threads (nj_statemuseum) and YouTube (@newjerseystatemuseum1895.)
About the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum
The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum is a center for the exploration of science, history and the arts. We preserve and share stories that inspire curiosity and creativity for the enrichment of our communities. Located at 205 West State Street in Trenton, the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum is the largest museum collection in the state and encompasses three buildings including a state-of-the-art Planetarium. Established in 1895, the State Museum鈥檚 collections in Archaeology/Ethnography, Cultural History, Fine Art and Natural History contain over 2 million objects.
About the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum Foundation
The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum Foundation was founded in 1968 as a non-government, non-profit 501(c)(3) to support the Museum's collections, exhibitions, programs and research through fundraising, volunteerism and advocacy. In recent years, the Foundation has received generous support from the PNC Foundation, NJM Insurance Group, Department of State/吃瓜黑料 Historical Commission, 吃瓜黑料 Council for the Humanities, The Henry Luce Foundation and Princeton Area Community Foundation. The Foundation also operates the Museum membership program, as well as the Museum Shop, which sells merchandise related to the Museum's exhibitions, collections, and 吃瓜黑料 history and culture.