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An apocryphal story about a chair’s carved half-sun frames a group exhibition by Delaware-based artists. A separate Gallery 5 show brings Indigenous artists of the Eastern Woodlands into the anniversary conversation, with a different exhibition run.
All times are local to the venue · America/New York
Exhibition runs August 7, 2026–January 3, 2027. Regular hours: Wednesday 4–8 p.m.; Thursday and Friday noon–5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; Monday and Tuesday by appointment. First Fridays 5–9 p.m.; Art Loops entry is free for all.
The question in Our Sun Is Rising — Our Sun Is Setting comes from an apocryphal tale: after the Constitution was signed, Benjamin Franklin supposedly asked George Washington whether the half-sun carved on his chair was rising or setting. The Delaware Contemporary uses that uncertain story as a prompt for a present-day exhibition, not as settled history.
The group exhibition asks visitors to consider the country’s direction through work by artists who live and work in Delaware. Its themes include who feels included or shut out, how people experience disenfranchisement, and where power rests in public life. The founding-era anecdote sets up a question; it does not supply the answer.
Dr. Morgan Joseph Hamilton and Sara Ganter juried the exhibition. Its contributor roster names RM Cimini, Chad Cortez Everett, Suzie Goodenough, Andy Gordon, Janice King, Jeff Komins, Blazo Kovacevic, Anna McDermott, Michael McSorely, itunu ogundipe, Maia Palmer, Khamari Smith, Brad Thompson, Caitlin Walls, John Yeatman, Jr., and Carson Zullinger.
Further reading: Exhibit: Our Sun Is Rising — Our Sun is Setting - IN Wilmington ↗ · Our Sun Is Rising – Our Sun Is Setting — The Delaware Contemporary ↗
We Were Always Here is a companion exhibition, not part of the Gallery 1 show. Its seven named artists are Kesha “Quiet Medicine Tree” Bruanskill, Robert Cole, Denise Bright Dove Dunkley, Melissa “Quiet Thunder Turtle” Jackson, Farrah Stigall, Maggie Stigall, and Rebecca L. “Little Turtle Who Sees” Jackson-Square.
In a statement attributed to Jackson-Square and Dunkley, the exhibition situates Nanticoke, Lenape, and other tribal histories in a landscape known and cared for long before the United States was founded and Wilmington developed along the Christina and Brandywine. The artists’ listed materials include wood, bone, hide, bead, cloth, and reclaimed materials. The statement connects these materials with knowledge carried across generations, Indigenous continuity, and stewardship of the land—bringing a much longer regional timeline to the anniversary.
Further reading: Exhibit: We Were Always Here - IN Wilmington ↗
The museum’s regular hours are Wednesday 4–8 p.m.; Thursday and Friday noon–5 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday visits are by appointment.
On the first Friday of each month, the museum also opens 5–9 p.m. for the city’s Art Loops; the museum says entry is free for all during Art Loops.
The IN Wilmington event listing marks this exhibition free, and its venue directory also describes the museum as free. The museum’s Plan Your Visit page lists general admission as $7 for adults and $5 for seniors, veterans, and students with ID; visitors 18 and under and museum members are listed as free. First-Friday Art Loops entry is free for all. Because the event listing and museum’s general-admission information differ, confirm the charge with the museum before visiting.
Exhibit: Our Sun Is Rising — Our Sun is Setting - IN Wilmington ↗ · The Delaware Contemporary - IN Wilmington ↗ · Plan Your Visit — The Delaware Contemporary ↗
The supplied venue information does not describe particular accessibility facilities. For details, contact The Delaware Contemporary at 302-656-6466.
Our Sun Is Rising – Our Sun Is Setting — The Delaware Contemporary ↗ · Plan Your Visit — The Delaware Contemporary ↗
The exhibition is at The Delaware Contemporary, 200 S. Madison St., Wilmington, DE 19801. The event listing identifies the Willing Street Parking Lot, about 0.46 mile away; the venue directory also lists private and on-street parking. No rates or parking availability are specified.
Exhibit: Our Sun Is Rising — Our Sun is Setting - IN Wilmington ↗ · The Delaware Contemporary - IN Wilmington ↗
The supplied official visit information does not give transit routes or identify a specific entrance. Use the map and directions links to calculate a route from your starting point; contact the museum about entrance or access questions.
Plan Your Visit — The Delaware Contemporary ↗ · Our Sun Is Rising – Our Sun Is Setting — The Delaware Contemporary ↗
The listings overlap from October 28, 2026, through January 3, 2027. The main exhibition begins earlier, and We Were Always Here continues through February 27, 2027.
Our Sun Is Rising – Our Sun Is Setting — The Delaware Contemporary ↗ · Exhibit: We Were Always Here - IN Wilmington ↗
The event listing says free, but the museum’s visit page gives general-admission prices. First-Friday Art Loops entry is free for all; confirm the charge for a regular visit.
Exhibit: Our Sun Is Rising — Our Sun is Setting - IN Wilmington ↗ · Plan Your Visit — The Delaware Contemporary ↗
The museum lists Monday and Tuesday visits as by appointment.
The supplied venue information does not list specific facilities. Call The Delaware Contemporary at 302-656-6466 for details.
Our Sun Is Rising – Our Sun Is Setting — The Delaware Contemporary ↗ · Plan Your Visit — The Delaware Contemporary ↗
200 S. Madison St., Wilmington, DE 19801
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.
Images from the linked sources. Each caption identifies the context of the image.
Event, planning and background information checked 2026-11-03 against the linked sources.