Exhibits | Collections - America 250: Celebrating America's 250th Birthday - Deep Rivers / Long Roads | The Journey of America -

Exhibits | Collections - America 250: Celebrating America's 250th Birthday - Deep Rivers / Long Roads | The Journey of America - Peoria Riverfront Museum
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Exhibits | Collections
America 250 Celebrating Americas 250th Birthday
Deep Rivers Long Roads The Journey Of America
Exhibits | Collections
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
Virtual Collections
Viewing Room | Virtual Tours
Exquisite Creatures
Exquisite Creatures: Patterns Alive
America 250: Celebrating America's 250th Birthday
The Promise of Liberty
Ken Burns: Guest Curator for America 250
America Forward: Jeanne Gang
Tour of The Promise of Liberty with Seth Kaller
Joyful Resistance
Athletes: A Peoria Plays America Exhibition
Deep Rivers / Long Roads | The Journey of America
A Peoria Plays America Exhibition: Fogelberg
TOYTOPIA
Louis XV Plate
Amethyst Gallery of Minerals
DURYEA: America's First Car Company
The Center for American Decoys
American Decoy | The Book
Bronzeville to Harlem | An American Story
Peoria Holocaust Memorial
Yom HaShoah | Holocaust Remembrance Day
Hallway Exhibitions
Forbes Biological Station: Celebrating 130 Years
Museum Green Tours
Donate an artifact or artwork
PERMANENT COLLECTION
Duryea Motor Trap
Sculpture Garden
Virtual Exhibitions
EXHIBITS
Deep Rivers / Long Roads | The Journey of America
DEEP RIVERS / LONG ROADS | THE JOURNEY OF AMERICA
Open Saturday, January 31, 2026 through April 12, 2026
Deep Rivers / Long Roads: The Journey of America
invites visitors to consider the American saga as the nation embarks on its semiquincentennial celebration. This exhibition is an historic and artistic reflection on the winding road that has witnessed migrations, homecomings, heartbreaks, breakthroughs, and voices that resisted silence. Ever-blossoming from the optimism of industrialization to the hardened endurance of wartime, the ideals of a promised land, whether stitched into a quilt or frozen in a photograph, echo a nation forever becoming.
Drawing from the museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition traces the dream of America, celebrating 250 years of history and the lived experiences that shaped it. This exhibition honors the debt to those who built, questioned, challenged, rebuilt, and dared to sing their part.
I Hear America Singing
In conjunction with
Deep Rivers / Long Roads | The Journey to America
, the Peoria Riverfront Museum presents a signature performance:
I Hear America Singing
Inspired by Walt Whitman’s famous poem,
I Hear America Singing
weaves together a dynamic collection of music that reflects the nation’s evolving pursuit of liberty and the promises set forth in 1776. From traditional spirituals and work songs like “Deep River” and “Bound for the Promised Land,” to the works of celebrated composers and songwriters such as Paul Simon, Charles Ives, Jason Robert Brown, and Stephen Schwartz, this performance traces the American journey toward freedom, unity, and hope.
Part of the Peoria Riverfront Museum's celebration of America 250
The Peoria Riverfront Museum is celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation in 2026. Join us all year long for exhibitions on American art, science, history and achievement, including The Promise of Liberty, an exhibition guest curated by documentarian Ken Burns. Featuring a 1776 copy of the Declaration of Independence, a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and more, this exhibition will be the largest collection of some of the most important documents in American history on display during America 250.
Deep Rivers/Long Roads: The Journey of America
is sponsored by Linda Beth and Ed Sutkowski, America 250 donors, Visionary Society, Museum+, Illinois Arts Council, Midwest Agriculture Museum Endowment Fund