Rising Sun: Artists in an Uncertain America

Two historic museums came together for a transformative exhibition of contemporary art, the African American Museum in Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for Rising Sun: Artists in an Uncertain America, an exhibition of new works examining the provocative and timely question: “Is the sun rising or setting on the experiment of American democracy?” Installations by 20 celebrated artists explored themes of equality, free speech, and other tenets of democracy. In a time when perspectives in the U.S. are radically disparate, the artists investigated how art inspires us to reflect on, challenge, and expand our own lived experiences. Artists included Shiva Ahmadi, John Akomfrah CBE, La Vaughn Belle, Tiffany Chung, Lenka Clayton, Petah Coyne, Martha Jackson Jarvis, Demetrius Oliver, Eamon Ore-Giron, Alison Saar, Dread Scott, Rose B. Simpson, Sheida Soleimani, Renée Stout, Mark Thomas Gibson, Dyani White Hawk, Hank Willis Thomas, Deborah Willis, Wilmer Wilson IV, and Saya Woolfalk.