photo by: Courtesy: Dole Institute

The Dole Institute of Politics on the West Campus of the University of Kansas.

Four Lawrence-based cultural organizations have formed a year-long partnership to observe the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, Watkins Museum of History, Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area and Lawrence Arts Center have formed the “America at 250” series to give the community the opportunity to learn about the founding of the country and the Declaration of Independence.

“America at 250” will feature exhibits and programs exploring the nation’s first founding document, the rights people have and aspire to, and how generations of Americans have struggled to preserve these rights, according to a press release from the Watkins Museum.

“America at 250” begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday with the eighth annual Elizabeth Dole Women in Leadership Lecture at the Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive. The 2026 lecture will recognize Colleen Shogan, former Archivist of the United States and CEO of In Pursuit.

Shogan will join Dole Institute Director Audrey Coleman for a discussion on her leadership experience in the nation’s leading recordkeeping and historical stewardship organizations, the role of history in civic engagement and national identity, and her leadership in creating an opportunity for commemoration and reflection during America’s 250th birthday.

In the spring, there will be exhibits opening at the Dole Institute and Watkins Museum.

“Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy” will be displayed at the The Dole Institute of Politics from Feb. 16 through Sept. 7. This exhibit illustrates how Americans and people around the world have been inspired by the Declaration of Independence in their pursuit of equality and self-determination. Accompanying the exhibit are selections from the Dole Archives related to America’s Bicentennial in 1976, along with a display from Humanities Kansas highlighting life on the land that would become the state of Kansas 250 years ago.

Another exhibit will be at the Watkins Museum, “From Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad,” and it will be on display beginning April 6. The exhibit explores the journeys of an estimated 100,000 enslaved people who escaped to freedom between 1830 and the end of the Civil War, often traveling at night with only natural signs to guide them.

Photographer Jeanine Michna-Bales spent more than a decade researching and documenting this history, tracing a roughly 2,000-mile path based on real locations used by freedom-seekers along the Underground Railroad. Because the movement’s secrecy left little visual record, the exhibit fills a crucial gap by using contemporary photographs to evoke these hidden routes and experiences.

The Watkins, Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area, and Lawrence Arts Center will collaborate on film screenings later this year. Freedom’s Frontier is also planning public programs at multiple venues, the release said. There will be additional opportunities to engage with these organizations announced in the coming months.

Community members can view programs and events organized by these cultural institutions on the Watkins Museum’s website, watkinsmuseum.org.