Always a leader with voices of the times, on Friday, July 3, 2026, 6-9 p.m., 5 Points Art Gallery + Studios showcases twenty-four gutsy artists in its 8th annual This Is America invitational group exhibition. In the spirit of living unapologetically out loud, guests will be immersed in real time art performances and be greeted to a celebratory anti-250 cookout for the first time in the history of this staple exhibit.
Curated to give visibility, amplify and protect the non-monolithic narratives for artists of color, This Is America’s exhibiting artists represent diverse geographies, identities, languages, cultures, artistic approaches and influences. Refusing to capitulate to suppression of thought, movement, access and activism, the 2026 rendition will feature eclectic and dogmatic performances by Gnat Bowden, former MIAD student Joya Watts, UW-Milwaukee MFA and undergraduate of dance Tiffany Kadani and Phairra Ahmani Jones, an energetic music-infused roller skating installation by Fatima Laster featuring DJ Turtle Sooup, found-material sculptures by Rhonda Gatlin-Hayes and Tots, ingenious upcycled wearables by mars patterson and Amal Azzam, experimental video by Pedro M. Gutierrez, and a host of layered mixed-media 2-D works, including the recently censored painting, From MKE to Palestine, by 2026 National Scholastic Artist, Aida El-Hajjar.
Exhibiting artists include: Aida El-Hajjar (Milwaukee, WI), Amal Azzam (Milwaukee, WI), Ammar Nsoroma (Milwaukee, WI), Angel Sanchez (Chicago, IL), Claudia Maysen (Keller, TX), Darrel M. Payne (Milwaukee, WI), DJ Turtle Sooup (Milwaukee, WI), Drék Davis (Monroe, LA), Ellen Wagner (Santa Cruz, CA), Erik Salgado (Chicago, IL), Fatima Laster (Milwaukee, WI), Gnat Bowden (Milwaukee, WI), Isissia Drake (Chicago, IL), Joya Watts (Chicago, IL), Kevin Brown (Racine, WI), Kierston Ghaznavi (Milwaukee, WI), Manny Vibez (Milwaukee, WI), mars patterson (Milwaukee, WI), Pedro M. Gutierrez (Milwaukee, WI), Phairra Ahmani Jones (Roscoe, IL), Rhonda Gatlin-Hayes (Milwaukee, WI), Tiffany Kadani (Sacramento, CA), Tots (Chicago, IL) and Warren Harrington (Milwaukee, WI). Six of the twenty-four artists are first-time exhibitors at 5 Points Art Gallery + Studios.
On view until September 13, 2026, This is America’s 8th exposé of ambitious and kinetic works represent the truest declarations of inalienable rights and pursuits of humanity and happiness. In-person artist talks will be interspersed throughout the evening between the opening reception’s live performances. Performance schedule TBD. Just be there.
