As the nation prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station invites visitors to reflect on what it means to be American.
The two-minute impact
The library officially opened its newest temporary exhibit, E Pluribus Unum: Celebrating the American Experience, with a ribbon cutting July 2. Organized in honor of America’s semiquincentennial, the exhibit explores the cultural traditions, symbols and shared experiences that have shaped the country through music, food, sports, film, art and public service.
Running through mid-May 2027, the exhibit brings together artifacts from the National Archives, cultural institutions and private lenders while weaving in pieces from the lives of 41st president George H.W. and Barbara Bush.
“We wanted to have something to celebrate who we are, to celebrate our history and to bring people together,” Jay Patton, supervisory museum curator, told Community Impact. “We can’t wait for the public to see it.”
About E Pluribus Unum
Rather than focusing on a single moment in history, E Pluribus Unum is organized around eight themes representing everyday American life.
Patton said the exhibit intentionally highlights subjects visitors of all ages can relate to, from films and music to handcrafted art, recreation and the foods that often bring families together.
“We’re a blended culture,” Patton said. “We have our separate histories that we have then brought together to really make something that is us.”
Throughout the galleries, visitors will also find symbols representing values associated with American identity, including courage, grit and resilience, alongside familiar icons such as the American flag, the bald eagle and Uncle Sam.
The exhibit’s title itself reflects that theme.
“E Pluribus Unum translates to ‘out of many, one,’” said Alice Gonzalez Yates, CEO of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation.
She said the Bushes lived lives bringing people together and they believed in using their platform to unite people from different backgrounds, which inspired this exhibit.
The history
Although the exhibit looks broadly at American culture, it also incorporates artifacts connected to the Bush family.
Among them are President Bush’s cowboy boots, Barbara Bush’s Texas Rangers cap and documents from pivotal moments of Bush’s presidency, including a telephone conversation with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev as the Soviet Union dissolved.
Patton said those artifacts help place the Bushes within the larger American story rather than making the exhibit solely about their presidency.
“The work that we do, by nature, cannot be exhaustive,” he said. “We really want to inspire curiosity, future research.”
Yates said that approach mirrors the Bush family’s belief in public service and civic engagement.
“Everything we do is grounded in a very simple belief that the values championed by President and Mrs. Bush remain just as relevant today as they were during their lifetimes,” she said.
A long time coming
Planning for the exhibit began nearly two years ago.
Patton said the museum started by identifying about 100 potential lenders before narrowing the list to roughly 25 institutions and collectors. The final exhibit includes original holdings from the National Archives, presidential collections and private lenders, selected to help tell America’s story through original artifacts.
He said temporary exhibits allow the museum to bring pieces to College Station that visitors might otherwise never have the opportunity to see in person.
“We want our visitors to take away a sense of pride,” Patton said, “and maybe a few new pieces of information they didn’t know before.”
Before you go
The exhibit is on display at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum through May 16, 2027.
