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Falls Church Arts Gallery will mark the nation’s semiquincentennial with “250 and Counting,” an exhibition featuring 66 multimedia works exploring American life since the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The exhibition opens April 18 and continues through May 31, 2026. A free meet-the-artists reception will launch the show from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at the gallery, 700-B W. Broad St. in Falls Church.

Visitors attending the reception can meet participating artists and vote for the People’s Choice Award. The Juror’s Choice Award will also be announced that evening.

Artists were invited to examine the country’s history, culture, ideals, struggles and possible futures. Their subjects include baseball, barber shops, immigration, civil rights figures, women’s fight for voting rights, the moon landing, tobacco, the open road and the fragility of democracy.

Other works consider military service, balancing national ideals with the personal costs of defending them and the continuing process of healing afterward.

The pieces span an unusually broad selection of materials, from paint, photography and ink to denim, thread, eggshells, silverware, Sculpey clay and stoneware.

Juror Pamela Huffman, a local artist, curator and community arts activist, described selecting work for an exhibition about America at this point in history as both an honor and a responsibility. She said the artists brought skill, courage and careful thought to perspectives on the country’s past, present and future.

Admission is free. Regular gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

All displayed works will be available for purchase in the gallery and online. People’s Choice Award voting continues through May 15, with the winner scheduled to be announced May 16.