It could have been silly — art about art history has been the basis of too many trite exhibitions in recent years — but this tart expo curated by Matthew Weldon Showman is hysterical in the most catalytic sense of the word. We all know the famous Emanuel Leutze painting Washington Crossing the Delaware, but in this new version, Ode to Washington Crossing the Delaware(pictured) by the duo known as E2, men are replaced by women of various races, and Washington is portrayed as a resolute black woman. This may seem funny at first, but it also is symbolic. Although the American Revolution was a revolt by affluent white guys against a British monarchy run by and for affluent white guys, the Constitution they drafted set the stage for a process of gender and racial emancipation that continues to this day.
Written by D. Eric Bookhardt