Image: Nevada Museum of Art, New York
The Nevada Museum of Art will open ‘Broad Stripes Bright Stars: Celebrating 250 Years of America’s Icons’ on November 7, 2026, bringing together hundreds of objects from the collection of graphic designer and private collector Kit Hinrichs. The exhibition is presented to acknowledge the U.S. semi-quincentennial and examines the evolution of American symbols over time, including figures such as Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty.
According to the museum, the show will span multiple galleries and assemble a wide range of material tied to national imagery and public life. Historic flags will sit alongside protest posters, recruitment materials, patriotic memorabilia and other objects associated with politics and the military. The exhibition also includes handmade works such as quilts, needlework, folk art and sculpture, expanding the picture of how American symbols have been adapted, repeated and reimagined across different forms and periods.
The museum’s exhibition page describes a special grouping of ‘Stars and Stripes’ objects that commemorates 250 years of American life, including flags from the pre–Civil War era to the present. That section also incorporates patriotic fans, stamps, toys, games and commercial memorabilia. The range of material suggests an exhibition that treats the flag and related icons not as fixed emblems, but as images that have circulated through celebrations, advertising, collecting and political expression.
Kit Hinrichs is identified by the museum as a prominent San Francisco graphic designer and private collector. The exhibition draws entirely from his collection, and the museum notes that the project was organized by Studio Hinrichs in San Francisco. Alongside the installation, the museum says a 280-page book will complement the exhibition and capture the collection’s eclectic spirit.
The museum’s online listing places the show in the Carol Franc Buck Gallery, the E.L. Wiegand Gallery, the Ina Mae and Raymond Rude Gallery and the Kathie Bartlett Gallery, all on Floor 2. It runs from November 7, 2026, through May 15, 2027. The opening date also matches the museum’s July newsletter announcement, which framed the exhibition as an exploration of the American flag’s evolution over time and noted that hundreds of historic artifacts would be on view.
The project arrives amid a broader programming context at the Nevada Museum of Art that includes exhibitions and talks focused on environment, place and visual culture, but ‘Broad Stripes Bright Stars’ stands apart as a dedicated historical and graphic survey of American iconography. The museum’s materials position the show as a large-scale look at how national symbols have been gathered, designed and preserved across more than two centuries, with the collection itself serving as the core of the display.
