Historic Declaration of Independence Broadside to Visit Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Brunswick, ME—August 10, 2026—This October, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA) will host the display of a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence as part of a statewide tour organized by Maine Historical Society. The Declaration will be on view at the BCMA beginning Friday, October 30 through Saturday, October 31, with a special sneak preview for student groups planned for Thursday, October 29. The display of the Declaration at the BCMA is timed to coincide with USA @ 250, a major exhibition that examines 250 years of American history through exceptional artwork from the BCMA’s permanent collection. Programming surrounding the Declaration’s visit to Brunswick will be jointly organized by the BCMA, Bowdoin College, and the Curtis Memorial Library.

The tour of the Declaration of Indepdence brings one of Maine’s most important historical artifacts to each of the state’s 16 counties between July and October 2026, offering a unique opportunity to see and reflect on one of the nation’s founding documents during the 250th anniversary of American independence. The Declaration is one of just 26 surviving copies of the historic Dunlap Broadside, printed in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, to announce American independence to the colonies.

"We are honored to welcome the Declaration of Independence to Brunswick as the final stop on this remarkable statewide tour. The opportunity to stand before the very words that announced a new nation is genuinely rare, and we are glad to be able to share that experience with our community,” said Stephen Perkinson, Interim Director at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. “The Declaration's visit also feels like a natural extension of USA @ 250, and we look forward to welcoming visitors from across Maine for what promises to be a memorable occasion."

A Unique Public Experience

Those living in the United States often hear quoted the words of the Declaration of Independence. The tour is designed to bring those words to life and to inspire reflection, conversation, and a deeper consideration of the nation’s founding principles on the occasion of the country’s semiquincentennial. The installation accompanying the Declaration during the tour will include interpretive materials such as signage, videos that explore the Declaration’s history and Maine’s role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States.

While the Declaration is at the BCMA, visitors will have the chance to further explore themes of American indepdendence by viewing the exhibition USA @ 250. Spanning the period from the Revolutionary era to the current decade, the exhibition presents a preface and 25 thematic “episodes” that trace how artists have documented, shaped, celebrated, and contested the nation’s evolving identity. Featuring more than 100 works from the Museum’s permanent collection, USA @ 250 illuminates the diversity and complexity of American experience and offers an opportunity to reflect upon, celebrate, and question a history that has unfolded across two hundred and fifty years. 

Community Events and Local Engagement

The Declaration’s installation at the BCMA will represent the stop in the tour for Cumberland County as well as the final stop in the tour at large. The BCMA is partnering with Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick to commemorate this historic tour. Curtis Memorial Library will host community events, lectures featuring Bowdoin faculty, and youth programming supported by a grant from Maine State Library. Evening programs will focus on different communities within Maine and how the meaning of the Declaration of Independence relates to their community, as well as our country as a whole.  The week will wrap up on Thursday at the library, where we will have a community art project open to all ages, in coordination with ArtVan, to allow community members to highlight through art the question "What does the Declaration of Independence mean to you?"

About the Tour

Led by Maine Historical Society, the Declaration of Independence Tour will travel to all 16 Maine counties. The organization is responsible for the transportation and installation of the artifact, while also supporting local partners in planning events and public access. Staff from Maine Historical Society will accompany the Declaration at each stop and assist.

The full tour includes Maine Maritime Museum, Bath (July 17-18), Bigelow Laboratory, Boothbay (July 24-25), Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk (July 31-Aug. 1), Camden Public Library (Aug. 7-8), Belfast Free Library (Aug. 14-15), Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor (Aug. 21-22), Tides Institute & Museum of Art, Eastport (Aug. 28-29), Foxcroft Academy, Dover-Foxcroft, (Sept. 4-5), University of Maine at Presque Isle (Sept. 11-12), Bangor Public Library (Sept. 18-19), Margaret Chase Smith Library, Skowhegan (Sept. 25-26), University of Maine at Farmington (Oct. 2-3), Norway Memorial Library (Oct. 9-10), Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor, Lewiston (Oct. 16-17), Maine State Cultural Building-Maine State Library, Archives and Museum, Augusta (Oct. 22-23), and the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick (Oct. 30-31). 

Plan Your Visit

Location: Bowdoin College Museum of Art, 245 Maine Street, Brunswick, Maine 04011
Dates: Friday, October 30 through Saturday, October 31, 2026
For hours and tickets: Visit MHS’s Declaration of Independence tour website.

Bowdoin College Museum of Art

The Bowdoin College Museum of Art is the cornerstone of the arts and culture at Bowdoin. One of the earliest collegiate art collections in the nation, it came into being through the 1811 bequest of James Bowdoin III of 70 European paintings and a portfolio of 141 old master drawings. The collection has been expanded through the generosity of the Bowdoin family, alumni and friends, and now numbers more than 30,000 objects, including paintings, sculpture, works on paper, decorative arts and artifacts from prehistory to the present from civilizations around the world.

Maine Historical Society

Maine Historical Society preserves and shares Maine's story. MHS is a modern, forward-looking organization with an expansive vision for the role that history and MHS can play in Maine. MHS's core strength is our remarkable team and entrepreneurial culture committed to re-imagining how MHS delivers its mission to contemporary audiences in rich and powerful ways.

Curtis Memorial Library

Curtis Memorial Library serves the 28,000 residents of Brunswick and Harpswell, founded in 1883 as the Brunswick Public Library Association. With a gift from William J. Curtis (Bowdoin 1875) in memory of his father, Curtis Memorial Library was built on its current site in 1904, with a contemporary addition completed in 1999. Nearly 1,000 people visit Curtis daily, circulating over 130,000 items including our nationally-recognized Library of Things, attending programs, accessing technology including our new Creative Hive, connecting with community or simply finding a quiet place to read, study, explore and learn.

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Press Contacts

Bowdoin College Museum of Art           
Amanda Skinner 
askinner@bowdoin.edu

Maine Historical Society
Veronique McAree
vmcaree@mainehistory.org
 
Curtis Memorial Library
Joy Fehl
jfehl@curtislibrary.com