Editor’s note: Art has never been defined as a single narrative throughout the 250-year history of the United States. Along the way, hotels have long been part of the evolving American art scene, starting with Georgia O’Keefe and followed by Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, who all lived in New York hotels and made them the center of their artistic efforts. Renowned painter Edward Hopper frequently depicted hotel lobbies and rooms, and so it’s no surprise then that some ALHI hotels have leaned into American art. Learn more in our ongoing series aligned with USA250.
American art is as diverse as the nation itself.
Over 250 years, the focus has changed from immortalizing founding fathers as a visual identity for a young nation in the late 1700s and early 1800s to capturing the frontier landscape as part of Manifest Destiny and celebrating ordinary people who were building a nation in the 19th century.
By the turn of the 20th century, the focus had moved to the gritty realism of urban life, followed by abstract expressionism after World War II and then pop art in the ‘60s. In the late 20th century and into the 21st, American art took on new forms: digital technology, video art and large-scale installations that redefined boundaries. Contemporary artists from marginalized communities used their work to challenge bias and inequality.
"When you see three centuries of artists responding to their moment, you realize the American story has never been a single narrative,” Kristen Shepherd, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, told Modern Luxury magazine for a story about exhibitions in Philadelphia celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
Hotels have long been part of the American art scene, starting with Georgia O’Keefe and followed by Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, who all lived in New York hotels and made them the center of their artistic efforts.
And renowned painter Edward Hopper frequently depicted hotel lobbies and rooms. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2019 held a major exhibition – Edward Hopper and the American Hotel – which allowed guests to stay overnight in a 3D recreation of one of his painted hotel rooms.
It’s no surprise then that some ALHI hotels have leaned into American art.
The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va., has one of the most significant 19th-century art collections in the American South. Daniel Huntington, a prominent landscape painter of the Hudson River School, was one of the first artists to document the surrounding scenery and painted portraits of the resort's early owners. And the resort’s main dining room has 18 first-edition prints from John James Audubon's “The Birds of America.”
But there are two ALHI hotels that stand out when it comes to art: they have curators who bring guests museum-quality exhibits year-round in the hotel space.
"I talk so much about the value of arts and culture just to bring people together,” said Cece Cole, Curator at The Gallery at Mountain Shadows Resort Scottsdale. “I feel that we can go into an art gallery and no matter what you know, no matter what side of the spectrum you're coming from, there's something in there that just connects people on a human level."
Both Cole and Shane McAdams, Curator in Residence at Saint Kate Arts Hotel in Milwaukee, reflected on the importance of American art as the nation turns 250.
Cole said American art is significant because of its ability to create a shared space where people can engage across differences.
"It just gets down into the roots of human connection,” she said. “So, I think you know that goes beyond just this idea of the 250 years celebration. It really is that universal feeling of finding those points at which we can talk to each other and share ideas... It's kind of like an opportunity, a platform for a kind of civic discourse… debate and questioning and curiosity."
McAdams describes his role as an ambassador for art, giving tours and promoting art in the hotel and the city of Milwaukee. He organizes the art program at Saint Kate around four pillars – a largely permanent, museum-style collection integrated within the hotel, in rooms, conference rooms, ballrooms and public areas. New acquisitions occasionally refresh and expand the collection. He also curates four exhibition spaces that change quarterly, each built around a distinct theme.
He said his approach to curating focuses on diverse and unique American artists, including those with neurodivergent backgrounds. And in honor of the 250th, he’s planning an exhibit for Saint Kate that he said will be no ordinary history lesson.
McAdams wants the exhibition to function as 12 stories to serve as a metaphor for American history – but not neatly institutional.
“I want them to think differently about the narrative: of America and American art, rather than just reaffirm what they already expect,” he said.
McAdams emphasized that is like his approach to curating, focusing on diverse and unique American artists, including those with neurodivergent backgrounds.
“What I'm doing is gathering those up and doing stories about American art that are a little bit different, twisted and unusual, and as a profile of the potential of art to kind of be different, strange, unique and truly diverse,” he said.
Favorite artists
As they discussed America and its art, Cole and McAdams named their favorite American artists – and as you might expect, their tastes are diverse.
Although McAdams works primarily in contemporary art, his affinity is for 19th-century American landscapes.
“I’m a landscape [guy], and I like American luminists, like out of the Hudson River School,” he said, citing Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran as touchstones.
He pointed to Moran’s sweeping Western scenes, like his famous painting of Yellowstone Falls, as what he loves about the period.
“And personally, I gravitate to some weird, late second half of 19th century American landscapes,” he said.
Cole’s favorite is more on the modern side.
Robert Rauschenberg “is one of my favorites. He was one of those artists that really made it ok for artists to think about the possibilities outside of the surface,” she said, explaining how he pushed beyond the traditional frame and canvas. “He really upended the way we look at different approaches to art.”
Over six decades, Rauschenberg worked in a wide range of mediums including painting, sculpture, prints, photography and performance. The Port Arthur, Texas native’s work is associated with several mid-20th century art movements including conceptual art, pop art, and neo-dada.
ALHI Hotels and Art
The Crescent Hotel, Fort Worth leans into its location in Fort Worth’s cultural district.
Its contemporary art collection is anchored by a striking three-arch “rainbow” piece by local artist Matt Kleberg designed as a homage to the iconic arches of the nearby Kimbell Art Museum. Throughout the guest rooms, large-scale photos and artworks of both the Kimbell and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth extend this museum district connection into private spaces.
“Art has been tied into every aspect of the hotel,” said Jackie Allee, the Crescent’s Marketing Manager. “And in our guest rooms, depending on which one you stay in, there is either a photo above the bed of or a piece of artwork of the Kimbell or the Modern [Art Museum of Fort Worth].”
The hotel’s public areas feature works by a roster of contemporary artists —including Kleberg, Andy Woll, Allison Smith, Cornelia and Carolyn Salas — in an informal gallery. Even the Circle Bar is named for the mid‑20th‑century Fort Worth Circle art community.
That link to the cultural district even extends to events, Allee said.
“We recently did a dinner with the Modern, and our chef picked three pieces of artwork from the Modern and their chef picked three pieces,” she said. “They created dishes that resembled what the artwork made them think of.”
Just 30 miles down Interstate 30, Fairmont Dallas is frequently referred to as "The Arts District Hotel" due to its proximity to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center. In the past, the hotel has featured an artist-in-residence program and The Gallery at The Fairmont showcases rotating exhibits of contemporary mixed-media works from Texas-based creators.
The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, (a sister hotel to Saint Kate) opened in 1893, and has the largest Victorian art collection of any hotel in the world. It was originally curated by the hotel's founders, Guido and Charles Pfister, to bring European and American fine art to the Midwest.
Art Matters
Hotels are doing their part to bring art to a wider audience.
For Cole, that combination — high-caliber exhibition design in a busy, accessible corridor like the white-walled Gallery at Mountain Shadows — creates a unique model: a gallery where guests passing through the hotel to the golf course or bar have an encounter with art.
“Every time I go in the space, people are stopping and talking and pointing. You can hear them talking about the work as they pass by, or they’ll stop and talk to me if they see me,” she said. “I’m always excited to hear how people are engaging.”
That interest shows that art matters in America, Cole said.
“I feel like art is always on the chopping block, but it’s important because it always brings new perspectives and new enlightenment.”
Interested in American Art?
Here are five current exhibits tied to America’s 250th:
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Ark: "America 250: Common Threads" (through July 27, 2026) is a sweeping survey of American art, focusing on labor, community and land across 250 years.
Yale University Art Gallery New Haven, Conn.): "Art of a Nation: Celebrating America at 250" (through October 2026) showcases American art and design from various eras, including the Keeping Alive the Remembrance exhibit.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: A special installation through August 2026, drawing from various collections to explore the roots and aftermath of the Revolutionary War.
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.: Features multiple exhibits through 2026 highlighting American landscapes, early U.S. history, and artist stories from the 19th century to today.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia: "A Nation of Artists" (through July 5, 2027) highlights artistic creation throughout the country’s history.
Our Series
January: Historic Hotels Helped Shape American History – and Defined Luxury
February: Evolution of Air Travel, and Airport, Shrinks the Globe & Brings People Together
March: America and Its Sports are Intertwined
April: Meetings that Shaped America