Why We Gather is a yearlong series of 12 artist-led gatherings in rural communities, where shared meals and collective artmaking come together to create a mosaic portrait of the United States in its 250th year.
Gatherings address issues ranging from climate resilience, land stewardship, and cultural preservation to food sovereignty, migration, mutual aid, water access, and intergenerational knowledge sharing.
Artists + Working Timeline
2026
- August 2: Mel Ziegler & Sandhills Institute
Rushville, Nebraska - September 26: Mel Chin & SOURCE Studio
Egypt Township, North Carolina - October 24: Jeffrey Gibson, Anita Fields & Yatika Starr Fields
Cherokee Nation, Cherokee County, OK - November 14: Las Nietas de Nonó (mulowayi iyaye & mapenzi chibale de Nonó)
San Antón, Carolina, Puerto Rico - December 5: Adriana Corral & Janaye Brown
Pointe-au-Chien, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
2027
- February 13: Saleem Hue Penny
Congaree River Basin, South Carolina - March 27: Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle
Arivaca, Arizona - April 25: brontë velez
Kashia Pomo Territory, Sonoma County, CA - May 21: Nicole Marroquin
Ypsilanti, Michigan - June 5: Ger Xiong
Appleton, Wisconsin - June 19: DesertArtLAB (April Bojorquez & Matt Garcia)
Pueblo, Colorado - July: Marie Watt & Jeanette Jemison
Haudenosaunee Territory, Victor, New York
