Lonnie Holley: How We Got Over

For more than five decades, Lonnie Holley has devoted his life to the practice of improvisational creativity. Working across sculpture, assemblage, painting, drawing, photography, music, and film, his art emerges from struggle, furious curiosity, and what he describes as “biological necessity.” Transforming found materials into richly layered works that commemorate people, places, and events, Holley reveals the histories already embedded within everyday objects.

During the 250th anniversary of the United States, Holley embarks on a journey from the Delaware River Valley to the Great Plains and the Pacific Northwest to reconnect with America, traveling to places that hold the nation’s layered histories and enduring questions.

How We Got Over includes new works developed during a summer residency at ArtYard, nestled in the Delaware River Valley north of where the Declaration of Independence was signed, alongside selections spanning his remarkable career, inviting visitors into an artistic practice that continually gathers memory, experience, and imagination into new forms.