Sharon Bush, Lauren Roberts, Andrea Warshaw Wernick, Pamala Wright, Ramona Singer, Pamela Morgan at The Story of America opening reception at Southampton Arts Center on May 23. Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
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Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Sharon Bush, Lauren Roberts, Andrea Warshaw Wernick, Pamala Wright, Ramona Singer, Pamela Morgan at The Story of America opening reception at Southampton Arts Center on May 23. Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Sharon Bush attends The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Madison Wright, McKenzie Wright, Pamala Wright, and Sharon Bush attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Mary Slattery, Pat Garrity, Mark Fichandler, Paul Travis, Christina Mossaides Strassfield (executive director, SAC), and Robert LohmanSharon Bush, Lauren Roberts, Andrea Warshaw Wernick, Pamela Wright, Ramona Singer, Pamela Morgan attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Ken Fishel, Maria Fishel, Sharon Bush, Christina Mossaides Strassfield, Southampton Mayor Bill Manger, Pamala Wright, Madison Wright, NY State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, McKenzie Wright Brumberg attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Sharon Bush, Fern Mallis, Nicole Miller and Ramona Singer attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Ken Fishel and Maria Fishel attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Edward Hahn, James Byers, Shea Walker, and Madison Wright attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Liora Sternberg, Pamala Wright, Lucia Hwong Gordon, Diana Passarelli, guest, Elizabeth Steimberg, Louise Kornfeld Sharon Bush, Lauren Roberts, Andrea Warshaw Wernick, Pamela Wright, Ramona Singer, Pamela Morgan attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Jason Inasi, Rose Inasi, Scott Hantler ,Madison Wright, Liam Murphy, and Greg Holmes Sharon Bush, Lauren Roberts, Andrea Warshaw Wernick, Pamala Wright, Ramona Singer, Pamela Morgan attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Madison Wright, Brian Brumberg, McKenzie Wright Brumberg, Pamala Wright, Sharon Bush and Greg Holmes Sattend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026. Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Source:
Southampton Arts Center Turns the Story of American Democracy Into a Hamptons Cultural Moment With Museum of Democracy Exhibition
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center,
Southampton, NY
May 23, 2026.
Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Source:
From a childhood obsession with campaign buttons to a million-object political archive, ‘The Story of America’ arrives in Southampton with rare presidential artifacts, immersive storytelling, and a $250K state grant announced opening weekend
The Southampton Arts Center has opened The Story of America: 1776–2026, A Celebration of Freedom and Independence, a sweeping new cultural exhibition that turns 250 years of American democracy into a lived, visual experience on the East End.
Ken Fishel and Maria Fishel attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY, May 23, 2026. Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Presented in partnership with the Museum of Democracy, the exhibition is built around the Wright Family Collection—one of the most significant private archives of American political and civic memorabilia in the country.
And it began, unusually, with a child’s curiosity.
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY<br May 23, 2026. Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Collector Jordan M. Wright started gathering campaign buttons and political ephemera as a boy, long before it became a collection of national scale. Over more than four decades, that early fascination evolved into more than one million objects spanning every U.S. presidential campaign from George Washington through Donald Trump.
The result is not just an archive, but a cultural mirror: how America has told its own story through symbols, slogans and spectacle.
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY, May 23, 2026. Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Among the standout artifacts on view are materials tied to George Washington inauguration, including an original historic flag, alongside 19th-century torchlight parade torches and 1960s campaign-era paper dresses worn at political rallies—objects that underscore how deeply American politics has always lived at the intersection of performance and identity.
A Cultural Reading of American Democracy
Rather than presenting history as a timeline, The Story of America unfolds as an immersive cultural environment—layering archival footage, objects and interactive installations to show how civic identity is shaped, contested and reimagined over time.
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY May 23, 2026. Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
The exhibition extends beyond presidential politics into defining social movements, including women’s suffrage, civil rights, labor rights and Vietnam War-era protest movements, reframing democracy not as a fixed system, but as an ongoing cultural negotiation.
Mary Slattery, Pat Garrity, Mark Fichandler, Paul Travis, Christina Mossaides Strassfield (executive director, SAC), and Robert Lohman attend The Story of America:1776-2026 exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY, May 23, 2026. Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
“We were thrilled to welcome the community to the Southampton Arts Center and to begin the celebration for the 250th anniversary,” said Executive Director Christina Mossaides Strassfield. “The fact that history can come alive on the walls of SAC is a gift to all visitors near and far.”
$250K State Grant Highlights Opening Weekend
During opening weekend, New York State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright announced a $250,000 state grant for the Museum of Democracy to support the preservation and exhibition of the Wright Family Collection.
Ken Fishel, Maria Fishel, Sharon Bush, Christina Mossaides Strassfield, Southampton Mayor Bill Manger, Pamala Wright, Madison Wright, NY State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, McKenzie Wright Brumberg attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY, May 23, 2026. Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
The funding, tied to America’s upcoming semi-quincentennial, underscores the exhibition’s broader cultural mission: preserving and re-examining how the story of American democracy is collected, interpreted and shared.
The Hamptons as a Stage for National Memory
The Museum of Democracy operates as a traveling cultural institution, bringing its Wright Family Collection to museums and cultural partners across the country through rotating exhibitions.
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY
Its holdings extend well beyond presidential campaigns into broader movements for civil rights, women’s rights and labor reform—offering a layered portrait of democracy as something constantly evolving in both politics and culture.
The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY
Opening Night Draws New York Cultural Crowd on MDW
The reception drew artists, philanthropists, civic leaders and New York cultural figures—underscoring the Hamptons’ role as a seasonal hub for major cultural programming and institutional exhibitions.
Madison Wright, McKenzie Wright, Pamala Wright, and Sharon Bush attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY, May 23, 2026. Photo by Sonia Moskowitz
Among attendees was Sharon Bush, former daughter-in-law of President George H. W. Bush and longtime New York philanthropist, who joined the opening-night crowd for the debut of the exhibition.
Additional guests included Ken Fishel, Maria Fishel, Lucia Hwong Gordon, Sylvia Hemingway, Robert Leacock, Robin Leacock, Jeffrey Loewy, Nancy Jane Loewy, Southampton Village Mayor William Manger Jr., Nicole Miller, Siamak Samii, Rebecca Seawright, Jean Shafiroff, Ramona Singer, Paul Travis, Madison Wright and Pamala Wright.
Siamak Samii and Mayor Bill Manger at The Story of America opening reception at Southampton Arts Center on May 23. Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
On View Through July 18
The Story of America: 1776–2026, A Celebration of Freedom and Independence is on view through July 18 at the Southampton Arts Center.
The exhibition is sponsored in part by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation and supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with backing from Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Sharon Bush, Fern Mallis, Nicole Miller and Ramona Singer attend The Story of America:1776-2026 Exhibit at the Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY, May 23, 2026. Photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com
Angela LaGreca, Editor-in-chief and co-Founder/Publisher of Spark Hamptons, is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, producer, writer and comedian/host. Her TV credits include NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “The View,” and, most recently, the primetime cable news program “Cuomo” on NewsNation. On the East End, she was the Creative Director at LTV, VP Features/Events/Photo Editor at Dan’s Papers, and has performed at Guild Hall, Bay Street Theater and the WHBPAC. Her publishing career began at Modern Photography, where she was managing editor. LaGreca lives in Manhattan and East Hampton and can be reached at angelatvmedia@gmail.com and angela@sparkhamptons.com
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