Common Sense

Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy, 11238, New York City

May 1, 2026 – November 8, 2026

Common Sense puts America's past in dialogue with its present. The exhibition pairs Thomas Paine's foundational revolutionary texts—Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–83)—with nine contemporary artworks that speak to the ongoing quest to "begin the world over again." Works by Paul Ramírez Jonas, Charles Gaines, and Jason Kao Hwang celebrate how community and music reinforce democracy's core tenets. Öyvind Fahlström, Joyce Kozloff, Hank Willis Thomas, and Kara Walker represent and reframe American histories, chronicling both turmoil and progress. Newly commissioned text-based works by Donald Moffett and Maynard Monrow use graphic design to deliver a message about the current moment: Power lies with us.