1945 – 1980

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videos + essays

Over the next two years, Seeing America will grow to include 100 videos, 18 essays, quizzes, discussion questions and lesson plans.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Bachman-Wilson House
Frank Lloyd Wright, Bachman-Wilson House

This building is a beautiful testament to Wright's vision of affordable and unique domestic architecture.

Mel Casas, <em>Humanscape 70 (Comic Whitewash)</em>
Mel Casas, Humanscape 70 (Comic Whitewash)

Through heroes like Captain America and Superman, Casas explores the relationship between media and identity.

Alice Aycock, <em>Low Building with Dirt Roof (For Mary)</em>
Alice Aycock, Low Building with Dirt Roof (For Mary)

A work of non-functional architecture, Aycock’s structure evokes personal memories and associations to the ancient past.

Rafael Tufiño, <em>La Plena</em>
Rafael Tufiño, La Plena

Originally made as a backdrop for the 1957 film La Plena, this mural celebrates the people and music of Puerto Rico.

Rafael Tufiño, <em>Goyita</em>
Rafael Tufiño, Goyita

A portrait of the artist's mother, Goyita symbolizes the resilience of Puerto Rico.

Barbara Zucker, <em>Mix, Stir, Pour (White Floor Piece)</em>
Barbara Zucker, Mix, Stir, Pour (White Floor Piece)

Mix, Stir, Pour: a feminist action.

Alma Thomas, <em>Lunar Rendezvous—Circle of Flowers</em>
Alma Thomas, Lunar Rendezvous—Circle of Flowers

Thomas takes inspiration from both the 1969 moon landing and her backyard garden

Sari Dienes, <em>Star Circle</em>
Sari Dienes, Star Circle

A plaster cast of a manhole cover from the streets of Manhattan is a testament to this artist's experimental use of materials

Harry Fonseca, <em>Two Coyotes with Flags</em>
Harry Fonseca, Two Coyotes with Flags

Cartoonish coyotes play on Fonseca's overlapping identities as queer, American, and Indigenous.

Brummett Echohawk, <em>An Island of Redbuds on the Cimarron</em>
Brummett Echohawk, An Island of Redbuds on the Cimarron

Light and color take center stage in this soul illustration of the Oklahoma landscape where Echohawk and his family have lived for generations.

Hedda Sterne, <em>Number 3—1957</em>
Hedda Sterne, Number 3—1957

Stripes of industrial spray paint on this canvas recall the industrial city and undersides of highways

Norman Lewis, <em>Untitled</em>
Norman Lewis, Untitled

Lewis leaves behind the figure for abstracted fragments at the end of World War II