Launched in 2024, Lunder Institute @ is a collaborative initiative that invites museums and art institutions to critically examine American art—its history, evolution, and future–through sustained cross-departmental and interdisciplinary conversations. Each partner institution then conceives and hosts a public program tailored to their audiences, co-presented by the Lunder Institute.

At the conclusion of the 2027 season, representatives from each partner institution will convene at Colby College to reflect in conversation with each other, the Colby community, and the public.

“Following our transcontinental focus in 2026 on the occasion of the nation’s 250th anniversary, turning our attention to the American South in 2027 is a natural evolution,” shares Erica Wall, Director of the Lunder Institute. “Having examined how the origins and narratives of American art extend across global borders, focusing on the US South allows us to critically engage with a region whose complex histories, rich cultural traditions, and lived experiences have fundamentally shaped—and continue to redefine—the story of American art.”

As a think tank within the field and part of one of the nation’s leading academic art museums, the Lunder Institute provides time, space, and resources to engage critically with questions of American art. This initiative supports dialogue within and between institutions as they respond to pressing issues in the field in relation to their collections, locations, and practices, with a core commitment to transparency.

January 20, 2027, Lunder Institute @ Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

January 30, 2027, Lunder Institute @ Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

February 6, 2027, Lunder Institute @ Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg

Spring 2027, Lunder Institute @ Birmingham Museum of Art

April 8, 2027, Lunder Institute @ Pérez Art Museum Miami

September 9, 2027, Lunder Institute @ Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

September 2027, Lunder Institute @ Fisk University Galleries

October 2027, Lunder Institute @ Colby College Museum of Art

Additional details for each program to be announced.

All programs are free and open to the public, livestreamed, and recorded. To watch past programs, visit our Youtube channel.

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