The Black American Artists’ Alliance of Richmond, recently opened “America the Beautiful?”—a group exhibition examining the complexities and contradictions of American life—at Browne Studio/Gallery, 1100 Hull St. The show runs through Nov. 28.

Featuring new and recent works by 12 artists in painting, printmaking, fiber arts and collage, the exhibition uses its title’s question mark intentionally, signaling an inquiry rather than a celebration. 

“This exhibition is about holding space for critical reflection,” the curatorial team said. “Our goal is not to offer definitive answers, but to provoke conversation — about history, about justice, about what it truly means to belong here.” 

Through their works, the artists confront tensions between the nation’s ideals and realities, including beauty and brutality, inclusion and exclusion, and resilience and erasure. The exhibition invites viewers to engage in a deeper dialogue about American identity. 

Exhibiting artists include P. Muzi Branch, S. Ross Browne, Unicia R. Buster, Yhayha A. Hargrove, Barbara Hobson, William E. Johnson, Jeff Taylor, Sir James Thornhill, Dennis Winston and R. Vashti Woods. Guest artists are Jerome Jones and Jeromyah Jones. 

BAAAR is a collective dedicated to promoting Black American visual art, establishing aesthetic principles and sociocultural themes and advancing scholarly research on the genre.