June 4 – August 1, 2026

As a companion to the Defying Empire exhibition, After the Empire presents a glimpse into American history following the Revolutionary Era. Featuring work created between 1862 and 2017, the exhibition depicts an array of issues, people, and occurrences that shed light on American identity. The work is wide-ranging in subject matter and style with an overarching focus on social and political commentary. The pieces here carry on practices seen in Defying Empire, in which printed materials are created as a means for igniting public conversation and lampooning, satirizing, and bearing witness to historic events and influential figures.

After the Empire was curated by Lynne Shumow, Curator for Academic Engagement, Haggerty Museum of Art, with assistance from Emma E. Erickson, graduate intern from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department of Art History.

Support for this exhibition is generously provided by the John P. Raynor, S.J. Endowment Fund.