"This Land Is ..." Exhibition

Sun., June 14, 2026–Mon., Jan. 11, 2027
THIS LAND IS...
MaryLou and George Boone Gallery
The exhibition’s title references the iconic 1940s song “This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie, with the ellipsis inviting reflection on the American project and land as both a geographical and metaphorical space of promise, struggle, and belonging.
Moving from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from precolonial America to the 21st century, the exhibition presents multiple perspectives addressing such topics as opportunity and dispossession, mapping and ecology, and preservation and repair. A wide range of voices from the past and present—across distant geographies—come together through documents, artworks, and artifacts to tell a multilayered story.
Exhibition Highlights
- Two rare, annotated July 1776 printings of the Declaration of Independence
- Unique documents from the history of surveying American lands, including a hand-drawn survey of Mount Vernon by George Washington and a hand-drawn design for a garden at Monticello by Thomas Jefferson, as well as a rare map of the 1760s survey of the Mason-Dixon Line and a manuscript page from Thomas Pynchon’s 1997 novel Mason & Dixon
- Documents related to colonial Pennsylvania’s swindle of more than a million acres of Delaware/Lenape land in the infamous Walking Purchase
- Literary evocations of land in manuscripts by Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, and Octavia E. Butler
- A 1936 acoustic guitar owned by itinerant songwriter and activist Woody Guthrie and inscribed with the words “This Machine Kills Fascists,” courtesy of the Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle, Washington
- Drawings, journal pages, and a painting of George Washington made by Woody Guthrie, courtesy of the Woody Guthrie Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Explorations of the U.S.-Mexico border from a survey after the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to present-day art and political contestation
- Civil War and Reconstruction–era materials including photography, personal writings, and a Congressional resolution to pass the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery
- Depictions of the national park system from its origins to the present
- Family photographs and documents by Japanese American flower farmers in Los Angeles before, during, and after their World War II incarceration
- Contemporary artworks that confront historic and contemporary revolutions, displacements, and communities, including photographs by William Camargo and Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), and a large painting by the late Los Angeles muralist Noni Olabisi
- Other artistic expressions about American lands and histories from California painter Agnes Pelton and Gee’s Bend, Alabama, quilter Mary Lee Bendolph
Companion Materials
Essay Volume
A richly illustrated companion book titled This Land Is …: Field Notes on American Ground features a diverse roster of writers, scientific and humanities scholars, and artists who reflect on the theme of the land and their relation to it. Edited by Garrett-Davis and Lehtinen, the volume includes a foreword by Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence. Contributors include Lonnie G. Bunch III, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; historians Natalia Molina and Claudio Saunt; authors Terry Tempest Williams, Jamaica Kincaid, and Lisa See; graphic novelists Kiku Hughes and Julie Fiveash (Diné); and artists Sandy Rodriguez and Mercedes Dorame (Tongva). The publication is illustrated with historical documents, photographs, and artworks, including a foldout of one of The Huntington’s unique 1776 printings of the Declaration of Independence. This Land Is … (ISBN: 978-0-87328-274-1, $45) will be distributed worldwide by the University of Pennsylvania Press beginning in June 2026.
The THIS LAND IS … Initiative
The exhibition is part of The Huntington’s sweeping, multiyear THIS LAND IS … initiative, which invites visitors to reflect on the American story through the lens of land. Anchored by the phrase “Reflections for America at 250,” the initiative draws on The Huntington’s library, art, and botanical collections to reveal layered, multidisciplinary narratives about the relationship between people, place, and nation.
Public Programs
- A Why It Matters event on May 14 featuring writer and conservationist Terry Tempest Williams in conversation with President Karen R. Lawrence
- The 2026 Shapiro Lecture on June 24, featuring Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University and author of Our Declaration (2014) and The Radical Duke (2026), followed by a conversation with Susan Juster, W.M. Keck Foundation Director of Research
- The first in a series of programs with the USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute, “American Landmarks: Oaks,” on May 8. The series is presented as part of the LA2026 project, which has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom
- A symposium on March 12 titled “Perspectives on Gardens in the American Context” and a research conference in November 2026 held in conjunction with the exhibition
- A community festival on June 28 featuring performances, tours, artmaking, and community partner activations for all ages
- A youth summit that unfolds over the school year to guide and generate youth-led research, creative, and civic engagement projects designed to shape new American futures
- A summer institute and other professional development opportunities for K–12 educators focused on interdisciplinary teaching and curriculum design
- Classes and workshops for all ages that allow for deeper learning opportunities and creative engagement
Sponsors
This exhibition is generously sponsored by Hahn & Hahn LLP.
Funding for this exhibition is provided by the Douglas and Eunice Erb Goodan Endowment. Additional funding is provided by The Shapiro Center for American History and Culture, the Robert F. Erburu Exhibition Endowment, the Steinmetz Foundation, The Ahmanson Foundation Exhibition and Education Endowment, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, The Melvin R. Seiden-Janine Luke Exhibition Fund in memory of Robert F. Erburu, and the Boone Foundation.
This exhibition is part of The Huntington’s THIS LAND IS … initiative, which is made possible through major support from The Fletcher Jones Foundation and Stewart R. Smith, Robin A. Ferracone, Logan Smith, and Tracy Beetler through The H. Russell Smith Foundation. Generous support for this initiative is also provided by LeeAnn and Ronald Havner through the JCS Foundation.
