Shifting Terrain: Perspectives on Land in North America

Shifting Terrain explores evolving perspectives on land and landscape across North America by presenting historical, modern, and contemporary artworks that depict diverse relationships to place.

This exhibition invites viewers to consider the idea of “America” on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Declaration’s foundational but limited statement—“all men are created equal”—does not reflect the historical experience or contemporary life of many Americans.

The country’s beginnings and expansion westward, as seen in artworks from the 1800s, relied on the genocide of Native Americans and forcible removal from their homelands. This was compounded by the broad enslavement of African peoples whose involuntary labor tilled these lands.

Contemporary artists examine this history with a critical eye. Native artists’ works reflect both the survival and sovereignty of Indigenous people—their land rights and power to self-govern—as well as a deep respect for land as a living entity. Other artists address the ongoing environmental crisis, climate change, and degradation of land.

Together, the works in Shifting Terrain—all from the Museum’s collection—encourage us to shift our perceptions of the landscape of North America, its complex and contested histories, and our places within it today.