American identity – Art Spiel

July 29, 2026July 28, 2026, by Adria Arch

America, Unfinished?! at WaterFire Arts Center

America, Unfinished?!, a national exhibit at WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, RI, features the work of 80 artists from 13 states and territories. I visited the 15,000-square-foot former rubber factory on a hot July day. The light-filled space is several stories high and could dwarf almost anything smaller than a jet, so it took me a while to find my bearings and focus on the work.

May 20, 2026May 20, 2026, by Jessica Aguilar

Art Seen Philadelphia: Spring 2026

HIGHLIGHTS

During this season, art spaces across Philadelphia step up to demonstrate the voices of underrepresented communities as the city prepares to celebrate the semi-quincentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. While institutions and sports fans are celebrating, artists take this moment to reflect on America’s 250 years, and how definitions of liberty, equality, and justice have evolved beyond what the Founding Fathers drafted.

February 4, 2025February 4, 2025, by Art Spiel

Margaret Koval: The Uncanny Valley of Everyday Life at ArtWRKD

In Dialogue

Margaret Koval in her studio. Photo courtesy of Kate Hammett.

The paintings in Margaret Koval’s latest exhibition, The Uncanny Valley of Everyday Life, capture a sense of disorientation—recognizable urban and suburban scenes where something is slightly off. They are rich in color and composition, drawing viewers in with pleasing views, yet an underlying unease lingers. Like waking up to find someone has rearranged your furniture overnight, they create a feeling of estrangement within the familiar.

July 14, 2022December 30, 2022, by Art Spiel

Yikui Gu and Eustace Mamba at Commonweal

Featured Project: with gallerist Alex Conner

A group of people in a room

Description automatically generated with medium confidence — Image from the opening of the exhibition at the gallery

For its final exhibition of the gallery year, Commonweal in Philadelphia is featuring mixed media works by Yikui (Coy) Gu & Eustace Mamba, whose imagery and use of material create layers of multi faceted cultural cues, prompting a nuanced glimpse at the complexity of American identity. The exhibition runs through July 30th, 2022.

November 18, 2020November 18, 2020, by Etty Yaniv

Americans Looking In at The Center for Book Arts

In Dialogue with Emilie Ahern and Sherri Littlefield

The curators, Emilie Ahern (left) and Sherri Littlefield (right), stand in the exhibition space among the works from Americans Looking In. Photo credit: Andrew Littlefield

In the thought-provoking group show Americans Looking In at the Center for Book Arts the curators Emilie Ahern and Sherri Littlefield explore what it means to be “American” mostly through media such as photography, book art, sculpture and prints. Their personal experience of coming from multicultural backgrounds and growing up in the States has prompted them to ask the question – What is American culture today, and what does an American look like?