‒ Museums in over 11 cities will headline art exhibitions created by the American Federation of Arts, with more cities to come ‒
The American Federation of Arts (AFA), the leader in traveling exhibitions worldwide since its founding in 1909, announces the new season for the fall of 2025 through 2027. So far, museums in over 11 cities will host several art exhibitions created by the AFA and its partners, with more cities to come. Throughout its celebrated 116-year history, the nonprofit institution has helped to spearhead the course of art for generations by enriching the public’s experience and understanding of the visual arts.
“The AFA’s expansive panorama of new exhibitions demonstrates the importance of listening to the input of visual arts leaders nationwide, focusing on what audiences want to see, and continuing our legacy of shining a light on new artists and trends,” says Pauline Forlenza, the Director and CEO of the American Federation of Arts. “Our longstanding commitment to touring art exhibitions, publishing exhibition catalogues with scholarly research, and developing educational programs is vital – now more than ever.”
These traveling museum shows will open doors to creativity for the next sixteen months to museumgoers. Some of the shows include:
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Abstract Expressionists: The Women
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Alex Katz: Theater and Dance
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Civic Virtue in Rembrandt’s Amsterdam: 17th-Century Group Portraits from the Amsterdam Museum
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Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder
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Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776–1976
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Experimental Ground: Modernist Printmaking in Paris & New York at Atelier 17
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Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection, and more.
Links to all of the AFA’s 2025 through 2027 exhibition tours may be viewed at: current shows and upcoming tours.
Some of the museums across the country include: National Museum of Women in the Arts, Wichita Art Museum, Muscarelle Museum of Art, Southampton Arts Center, The Gibbes Museum of Art, Taubman Museum of Art, Peabody Essex Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art, New Orleans Museum of Art, Mobile Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, among others.
A Tour de Force
Pauline Forlenza at the 2024 AFA Gala in New York (Photo by Alycia Kravitz)
From the Smithsonian –
“A vital part of American art history, the AFA was one of the first organizations to develop successfully the concept of traveling art exhibitions on a national and international level. Many arts organizations and museums have followed the AFA’s precedent. This national nonprofit museum service organization is recognized for striving to unite American art institutions, collectors, artists, and museums.”
“Through the years, the AFA has also had an impact on patronage in the arts. During its 116-year history, the Federation’s exhibitions of contemporary art provided collectors with knowledge of new artists and avant-garde art forms, creating a broader demand and market for this type of work. Museums and collectors began purchasing work by new or obscure American artists whom they learned about through AFA exhibitions and programs. The AFA also recognizes the importance of the exchange of cultural ideas.”
“Throughout its history, the organization has concentrated on its founding principle of broadening the audiences for contemporary American art, breaking down barriers of distance and language to expand the knowledge and appreciation of art. The touring exhibitions have brought before the public contemporary American artists and craftspeople, genres, and artistic forms of experimentation – exposing viewers to new ways of thinking and expression.”
Highlights from the New Season
View the full list of tours at: amfedarts.org/exhibitions/current and amfedarts.org/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/.
The complete lists of current and upcoming touring museum shows are updated regularly, as new exhibitions and new museum dates are added. Following are highlights of eight of the AFA exhibitions that will be touring during the fall of 2025 through 2027.
Abstract Expressionists: The Women
Explores the vital, under-acknowledged innovation of women artists in the Abstract Expressionist movement, the first internationally renowned artistic movement to originate in the U.S.
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Featuring 47 works from The Levett Collection, by more than 30 women artists who worked in New York, California, and Paris from the early 1940s through the 1970s.
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Features a never-before-seen grouping of works by Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Emiko Nakano, Pat Passloff, Mercedes Matter, Sonja Sekula, and more.
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The paintings of the Abstract Expressionist movement have historically been associated with male creativity.
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Until recently, the historical and critical reception of Abstract Expressionism has almost uniformly marginalized its women practitioners.
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This exhibition upends this gendered narrative, demonstrating that these women were not merely acolytes or interpreters, they were ambitious innovators all their own.
Since 1909, the AFA has toured more than 3,500 exhibitions that have been viewed by millions of people in museums in every U.S. state, and in Canada, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
“Too often, the canon of art history has relegated women artists to supporting roles in major art movements,” says Pauline Forlenza. “This exhibition upends that narrative, asserting that women painters were critical contributors to the formulation of Abstract Expressionism from the very beginning. Equally talented and visionary, the female artists featured in this show helped put American art on the map.”
Organized by the American Federation of Arts from the Christian Levett Collection and FAMM (Female Artists of the Mougins Museum), France. Curated by Ellen G. Landau, PhD.
Civic Virtue in Rembrandt’s Amsterdam: 17th-Century Group Portraits from the Amsterdam Museum
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Rarely left Amsterdam since the 1600s; never traveled in the U.S. as a group.
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Traces how life in Amsterdam was based on the collective responsibility of the burghers, who combined mercantile wealth with political power.
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Explores Amsterdam’s prosperity, fueled by trade wars, colonization, and enslavement.
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Artists include Rembrandt, Adriaen van Nieulandt, Gerrit Berckheyde, Ludolf Bakhuizen, Dirck Santvoort, Ferdinand Bol, Bartholomeus van der Helst, and more.
Guest Curator: Norbert E. Middelkoop, PhD, Amsterdam Museum.
Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder
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100 photographs by 70 artists.
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Explores the concept of presence through portraits, landscapes, reportage, and cityscapes.
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Works by Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Nan Goldin, Dorothea Lange, Sally Mann, Susan Meiselas, Gordon Parks, Edward Weston, and more.
Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776–1976
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More than 100 acclaimed works of American art.
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Includes stories of women artists, LGBTQ+ artists, and artists of color.
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Features Mary Cassatt, Alice Neel, May Howard Jackson, Henry O. Tanner, Barkley L. Hendricks, Joshua Johnson, Dox Thrash, and more.
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Curated by Anna O. Marley, PhD.
Alex Katz: Theater and Dance
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First comprehensive museum presentation of Katz’s work with choreographers, dancers, and avant-garde theater ensembles.
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Includes archival materials, sets, paintings, and sketches from over 60 years.
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Spotlights Katz’s partnership with Paul Taylor.
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Drawn from Colby College Museum of Art, Paul Taylor Dance Archives, and Katz’s studio.
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Curated by Levi Prombaum.
Willie Birch: Stories to Tell
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Chronicles Birch’s vision of the Black American experience.
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First career retrospective, from the 1970s to present.
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Explores African traditions in American music, art, and culture.
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Addresses identity and cultural awareness.
Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection
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Over 70 works by 60 women artists between 1946 and today.
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Includes sculpture, painting, installation, textiles, pottery, and mixed media.
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Features Judy Chicago, Mary Corse, Julie Mehretu, Lorna Simpson, Christina Quarles, Tschabalala Self, Firelei Báez, Faith Ringgold, Howardena Pindell, and more.
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Curated by Cecilia Alemani.
Experimental Ground: Modernist Printmaking in Paris & New York at Atelier 17
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First large-scale survey of Atelier 17 prints in 50 years.
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The workshop (1927–1988) shaped modern art in Paris and New York.
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Features Joan Miró, Yves Tanguy, Louise Bourgeois, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, Louise Nevelson, Krishna Reddy, and more.
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Curated by Ann Shafer and Christina Weyl.
About the American Federation of Arts
The American Federation of Arts (AFA) is the leader in traveling exhibitions in the U.S. and worldwide.
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Founded in 1909.
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Has toured more than 3,500 exhibitions in every U.S. state and worldwide.
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Dedicated to enriching public understanding of the visual arts.
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Organizes exhibitions, publishes catalogues with scholarly research, and develops educational programs.
Media Contacts: Jose Lima / Bill Spring
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