The Boston Public Library in Copley Square has opened "Revolution! 250 Years of Art and Activism in Boston," its first major exhibition in nearly a decade. The show uses a deliberately unfinished design of plywood and scaffolding to symbolize democracy as a work in progress, moving chronologically from the American Revolution through the 21st century. It features engravings by Paul Revere, portraits of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, works addressing Toussaint L’Ouverture and Haitian revolution, Boston abolitionists, the Civil War, civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and contemporary activism including Indigenous, LGBTQ+, climate, and anti-police brutality movements.
The exhibition matters because it reframes the 250th anniversary of American independence not as a static historical celebration but as an ongoing, unfinished struggle for freedom and equality. By placing historical artifacts alongside modern artworks and connecting 18th-century revolution to current social movements, the show challenges visitors to see activism as a continuous thread in Boston’s identity. It also demonstrates how public libraries can serve as vital civic spaces for nuanced, progressive historical interpretation.