When in the Course of Human Events
In-Gallery & Online: June 5 - August 2
“…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
This exhibit invites artists to reflect on the enduring influence and evolving meaning of the Declaration of Independence. More than a historic document, the Declaration introduced ideals—Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—that continue to shape the American experience. This exhibition encourages artists to explore these founding philosophies, the grievances that inspired them, and the ways their meanings have shifted through time. Through painting, sculpture, poetry, photography, and other mediums, artists examine how these ideas resonate today—revealing personal, local, and national perspectives on a document that remains both aspirational and deeply human.
This exhibition aims to spark thoughtful reflection and constructive conversation about the ideals that continue to shape our past, present, and future.
View the award winning works in the slideshow (when announced at 7:00pm), and browse the full exhibit down below. All works are for sale unless listed otherwise.
You can experience the When in the Course of Human Events exhibit in-person by visiting the gallery: Tuesdays through Sundays, 12:00 – 4:00 PM. Free admission.
Thank you to our Award Sponsors:
Programs and exhibits of the St. Augustine Art Association are funded in part by grants from: St. Johns County Tourist Development and The St. Johns Cultural Council, The Community Foundation of Northeast Florida, and the Benjamin and Jean Troemel Arts Foundation.
Full Exhibit
View the full exhibit below. Works are listed in random order, but can be sorted by using the drop-down menu below. For details on a piece or to make a purchase, click on the artwork image or the artwork title. For a listing of all works in the When in the Course of Human Events exhibit by a specific artist, click on the artist’s name below the artwork image. For a listing of all works in the When in the Course of Human Events exhibit of a specific medium (sculpture, for example), click on the medium below the artwork image.
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Exhibit Judge:
Julie Dickover is Director of the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum (CEAM) and Director of Exhibitions and College Collections at Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Florida, where she has curated over fifty solo exhibitions and commissioned new works by regional, national, and international artists for CEAM. Recent exhibitions include Ilana Harris-Babou: Golden Thread (2024); Elisa Harkins: Teach Me A Song (2023) in collaboration with The New Gallery, Austin Peay State University and Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, College of Charleston; Sasha Wortzel: Dreams of Unknown Islands (2023) in partnership with the Cooley Gallery at Reed College; Florine Démothène: Always in All Ways (2022); Erin Kendrick: The Hotelmen (2022); Mirages: Elizabeth Atterbury, Katy Cowan, Strauss Bourque-LaFrance (2021), Karen Hampton: Origins (2021); Hilary Pecis: A Space in Between (2020); and Sky Hopinka: Around the Edge of Encircling Lake (2018). In the fall of 2016, Dickover initiated the CEAM Artist Residency at Flagler College. Since that time, CEAM has hosted over twenty internationally known artists from diverse disciplines, including Olivia Block, Staci Bu Shea, Jamilah Sabur, Sky Hopinka, Christine Sun Kim, and Wendy Red Star.From 2003-2010, Dickover held various positions in the Department of Registration and Collections Management, and from March 2024 to July 2025 was Registrar for Exhibitions at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. Dickover is an active member of the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, and the Florida Association of Museums.
Judge's Statement:
Judging exhibitions at the St. Augustine Art Association is always a delightful experience, and the artists included in this month’s exhibition When in the Course of Human Events did great justice in considering the exhibition’s theme of the enduring influence and evolving meaning of the Declaration of Independence. The artists embraced the theme through a compelling range of methods and materials, including textiles, collage, mixed-media, encaustic, painting, drawing, poetry, and photography, just to name a few. Moreover, each artist responded with deeply thoughtful artworks embodying a diversity of feelings about what this document has meant throughout history and into the current moment: pride, hope and optimism, frustration, solidarity, and yes, sometimes cynicism. The last stanza of Avery St. Jean’s poem is a wonderful summation of the work included in the exhibition, and marks a hopeful tone that I hope we can all take to heart:Not finishedStill argued Still becoming
Programs & Exhibits of the St. Augustine Art Association are funded in part by grants from the the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, the St. Johns County Cultural Council, and the Community Foundation of Northeast Florida.
