A reflection on the United States’ 250th anniversary through the lens of PAMM’s permanent collection. May 23, 2026–June 6, 2027.
(MIAMI, FL — April 14, 2026) — Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is pleased to present This Is America: Selections from PAMM’s Collection, opening May 23, 2026. Drawing from the museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition reflects on the United States’ 250th anniversary through nearly 60 works by approximately 50 artists working across photography, painting, collage, sculpture, video, and neon.
This Is America situates PAMM within a broader national conversation around the country’s Semiquincentennial—the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence—bringing together works by artists from diverse cultural backgrounds and across multiple time periods and media, presenting a multiplicity of perspectives on American history and identity while asserting a distinct institutional voice grounded in PAMM’s own collection.
“As we mark the nation’s 250th anniversary, PAMM’s collection proves to be a remarkably generative starting point for reflection, particularly within South Florida. This Is America brings together nearly 80 works that cross geographies and generations, a reflection of Miami itself: a city shaped by arrivals and departures, by joy and grief, by the ongoing work of defining belonging. This exhibition speaks directly to that reality, engaging our permanent collection in ways that are both historically grounded and deeply personal to PAMM’s community,” said Associate Curator Maritza M. Lacayo.
By foregrounding the work of American artists—including women, immigrants, Black artists, Indigenous artists, and artists of color––the exhibition emphasizes national perspectives historically underrepresented in American art. This Is America underscores PAMM’s commitment to collecting and presenting art shaped by a broad range of experiences and invites visitors to engage with the evolving story of the United States through the museum’s permanent collection.
This Is America unfolds through broad thematic groupings—including reflections on the immigrant experience, constructions of American identity, and the tensions between patriotism and critique. These threads are intentionally porous, allowing works to resonate across categories and encouraging viewers to move through the exhibition as a series of overlapping histories and perspectives.
The exhibition traces how American artists have responded to pivotal moments of crisis and transformation––from the Civil War and World War II to 9/11, the COVID-19 pandemic, and modern social and political conditions––while also emphasizing forms of cultural expression rooted in resilience, community, and joy. Reflecting on both somber and triumphant historical events, the works in This Is America frame the nation’s 250th anniversary as a moment not only for commemoration and celebration, but also for rumination.
Featuring works drawn almost entirely from PAMM’s collection, including recent acquisitions and works that have not previously been exhibited, the presentation unites artists such as Vito Acconci, José Bedia, Judy Chicago, Coco Fusco, Alfredo Jaar, Rashid Johnson, Deborah Kass, Lyle Ashton Harris, Howardena Pindell, Zoe Strauss, Danh Vō, and Carrie Mae Weems, alongside Miami-based contemporaries including Eddie Arroyo, Thomas Bils, Gonzalo Hernández, and Sandra Ramos.
Highlights include Jaar’s A Logo for America (1987–95), which interrogates the language and symbolism of national identity; Pindell’s Free, White and 21 (1980), a landmark video addressing race and systemic inequity; and Vō’s We the People (2011–13), a fragmented reimagining of the Statue of Liberty that reflects on ideals of freedom and their global circulation.
ABOUT PAMM
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), led by Sandra and Tony Tamer Director Franklin Sirmans, promotes artistic expression and the exchange of ideas, advancing public knowledge and appreciation of art, architecture, and design, and reflecting the diverse community of its pivotal geographic location at the crossroads of the Americas. The 41-year-old South Florida institution, formerly known as Miami Art Museum (MAM), opened a new building, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, on December 4, 2013 in Downtown Miami’s Maurice A. Ferré Park. The facility is a state-of-the-art model for sustainable museum design and progressive programming and features 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space with flexible galleries; shaded outdoor verandas; a waterfront restaurant and bar; a museum shop; and an education center with a library, media lab, and classroom spaces.
