‘Shifting Terrain’ examines changing views of land, history, and identity in North America
A new exhibition titled Shifting Terrain is bringing fresh attention to how land and landscape have been understood, represented, and contested across North America. Drawing exclusively from a museum’s collection, the exhibition features a range of historical, modern, and contemporary artworks that explore evolving relationships between people and place.
The exhibit opens at the Montclair Art Museum in New in Montclair, N.J. and runs from April 25, 2026 and runs through April 25, 2028.
Artworks from the 19th century highlight the nation’s early expansion, including westward movement that depended on the displacement and genocide of Native American communities. The exhibition also acknowledges the role of enslaved African people, whose forced labor helped shape the land and economy of the developing country.
Timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the exhibition invites visitors to reconsider the meaning of “America.” While the nation’s founding document declared that “all men are created equal,” curators emphasize that this principle did not reflect the lived realities of many groups throughout history and into the present day.
Contemporary pieces in Shifting Terrain offer critical perspectives on this history. Works by Native artists emphasize the resilience, sovereignty, and cultural continuity of Indigenous communities, while underscoring enduring connections to land as a living entity. Other artists confront modern challenges, including environmental degradation and climate change, linking past injustices to present ecological concerns.
By presenting these varied viewpoints, the exhibition encourages audiences to reconsider North America’s landscapes as sites of layered histories and ongoing debates. Organizers say the goal is to prompt reflection on how individuals understand their place within these narratives today.
Shifting Terrain was curated by Gail Stavitsky, Chief Curator, with assistance from Laura J. Allen, Curator of Native American Art and Repatriation Coordinator.
