The United States of America will reach its 250th anniversary this July, and UCA recognized this milestone with various events last week, including a gathering that celebrated individuality, hope for the nation’s future, and was overall brimming with the American spirit.

Students, faculty, and performers filled the Baum Gallery in McCastlain Hall on Thursday, February 12th during X-period. President Houston Davis, dressed in colonial attire and complete with a powdered wig, kicked off the event with a reading of the Declaration of Independence. 

“I thought it was really interesting seeing how the words of the Declaration of Independence parallel to what’s happening in today’s society,” Desirae Reeves, the artist of The Tree of Knowledge, one of the Interactive 250 Cabinets on display at the gathering, said. 

Reeves reflected on Davis’ reading, saying that the words of tyranny “sounded familiar.” 

“It was really cool how he decided to say those words anyway, just so we could know…what our forefathers started off with in the first place,” Reeves said. “So we could know our history.”

Artists in Residence Kat Wilson and Alice Aida Ayers had their works on view during the gathering. 

Kat Wilson’s exhibit, “America 250 Selfie Throne,” was an interactive display that encouraged visitors to take a picture on a throne and take their rightful place in their nation’s story. 

Wilson’s exhibit featured numerous found objects depicting eras of United States history, representing not only pop culture but also paying homage to influential figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

Ayers’ exhibit, “Ancestral Spirits: Stitching the Past to the Present,” was a culmination of her artistry throughout her career, focusing on African and African American culture. 

“I really liked how she used a bunch of textiles to create her work,” freshman and contributing artist to the Interactive 250 Cabinets exhibit Marley Page said.

Page praised Ayers’ beading techniques and use of different fabrics for her artwork. 

“It’s interesting seeing how it’s very exact to her personal life and her culture,” Page said.

Art students created sculptures for the Interactive 250 Cabinets exhibit, each project made to answer a question about the American experiment. 

“I wanted my art piece to answer the question of ‘How does America value its people?’” Page said about her work, “Wardrobe of the People.” 

“Has that changed since the start of the country? Has it gotten better? Has it gotten worse?”

Her artwork also tackled themes of systemic poverty. 

Page’s piece was a miniature closet filled with clothing that represented American citizens.

Page attached price tags to these doll-sized outfits that viewers could scan for the piece’s deeper meaning.

Each scannable code brought viewers to an article describing how the U.S. government’s decisions, such as cuts to funding programs, affect the American people “mostly for the worst.”

“It makes you think, ‘Are we still a safe space for everyone?’” Page said. 

An Independence Day Wish For America Tree was on display, and many gatherers wrote down their wishes and hung them along the tree’s branches. 

Page said she wishes for a future where Americans feel “safe and happy,” and Reeves said she was pleasantly surprised by the attendees’ wishes.

“I thought that was really empowering that it wasn’t as docile as I thought it was gonna be,” Reeves said. “People really spoke up for what they believed in, and I felt that was really prominent.”

The 250 Gathering was not a celebration of this nation’s milestone so much as it was a reflection on American society and culture. 

Various artists and guests at the gathering expressed their optimism for a brighter future and the prosperity of their country as a whole.

“I think a lot of times with history, it’s important that we look back,” Page said, “so we can further work towards unity and freedom and safety for all.”