James Oliver Gallery in Philadelphia presents Unfurling 250. Opening Saturday, June 13, 2026, the group exhibition features 20 artists: Ted Adams, Paul Bastin, Don Bell, Pete Checchia, Nic D’Amico, Anthony DeMelas, John E. Dowell Jr., Nick Feeley, Claes Gabriel, Glossblack, Lou Haney, Eve Hoyt, James Labold, Caroline Leary, Jon Manteau, Natalie Hope McDonald, Aaron Nemec, James Oliver, John Y. Wind, and Patricia Yáñez.
As Philadelphia, the birthplace of American independence, marks the nation’s 250th anniversary, these artists unfurl a collective portrait of America as it has been lived, dreamed, built, and questioned. Unfurling 250 runs through August 22, 2026. From neon light art to glass sculpture, painting, video installation to couture textile, documentary photography to printmaking rooted in jazz, the artists in Unfurling 250 bring vastly different hands to a shared subject.
What emerges is not a celebration or a critique, but something more honest: a record. These are artists who have spent decades inside American cities, American institutions, and American stories. Together, their work asks what it means for a nation to turn 250 and what it means to unfurl a flag and look at it clearly. Unfurling 250 opens the evening before Flag Day. It is not a coincidence that this reckoning happens in Philadelphia, the city where the nation’s founding documents were written and where the work of living up to them has never stopped.
Natalie Hope McDonald is a fine artist and muralist based in
Philadelphia. She’s participated in many groups and solo exhibitions
during her career. Her work can be found in private and corporate
collections around the world. She’s also created murals on site at
several museums, including the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Wash. She
recently worked with Mural Arts and the Streets Dept. Her work is
featured in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s permanent collection.
"My newest work has been focused on the 250th anniversary of America with an emphasis on truth verses propaganda. My series, “I Know the Truth About America,” includes mixed media pieces in a variety of surfaces and forms. I often use repetitive text to emphasize the message, similar to how students used to be asked to write and rewrite statements on a blackboard. I’m interested in reclaiming patriotic symbols and creating a new message that asks audiences to think more deeply about we truly know about America, both in terms of its potential and its inherent failures in terms of racism, transphobia, homophobia, misogyny and nativism. Using a street art style on some works is designed to honor urban artists who regularly shed light on these issues in public spaces. My work is heavily inspired by current events and popular culture, hip hop, poetry, pop art and abstract expressionism."
Aaron Nemec was born in Ohio and raised in Michigan. He earned his BFA in painting and drawing from the University of Michigan (2001) and MFA from Purdue University (2011) in the Electronic and Time-Based Art program. His sculptures, paintings, drawings, performance, audio, and video projects have been shown nationally and internationally.
"My sculptural work utilizes the recognizable nature and smaller scale of mass-produced ephemeral junk. Some of these knick-knacks, toys, and figurines have attained value through forces of time, scarcity, oddness, or cultural reference. However, much of the stuff is already in or at the threshold of the town dump. Inspired by these old objects, the sculptures I make are composed out of hotglue castings and combined fragments that I can replicate, chop, paint, and reassemble as I see fit. The hotglue has a somewhat unpredictable quality that I enjoy manipulating into new collectables—new objects for the kitchen window sill or art gallery."
John Y. Wind was born in Israel, raised in Philadelphia, and studied at the University of Pennsylvania and the Slade School of Fine Art in London. His mixed media narrative portraits and assemblages are in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris), and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Named Best Artist by Philadelphia Magazine Best of Philly 2022. Wind has exhibited his pieces with J.O.G. for over 14 years.
Showing work from his "Whiskey Rebellion"series, shown at The Museum of American Revolution in 2024. A quote from WHYY coverage of the exhibition:
“Doing this kind of work, reclaiming my place in the American story, relating to history and personalizing it has been a really cathartic experience.”
Paul Bastin is a video editor and motion graphics artist whose photography is rooted in travel, cultural exploration, and a deep sensitivity to light and human presence. Currently working with MetLife, his professional background spans advertising agencies, design studios, and traditional post-production, where a focus on narrative and visual composition informs his still imagery.
This exhibition marks Bastin’s first presentation in a gallery setting and reflects his continued commitment to sharing and expanding his photographic work. He often presents his images under the title Within the Lens, a phrase that speaks to both the breadth of life and the fleeting nature of a single captured moment. As he describes:
“I’ve often shared my work under the title, Within the Lens, in order to encompass the broad spectrum of both life and light that can be captured in a single moment. Within that single click of the shutter, there is an honor that comes with the capture of an image that represents life here on earth. It then creates an opportunity in sharing the energy that connects us all through the gratitude of being alive."
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