Extended Play: A-Side

media release: June 4–September 27, 2026 • Main Galleries • Free Admission

The first of a two-part exhibition, Extended Play: A-Side examines postwar American abstraction, focusing on the Washington Color School and Sam Gilliam. Drawing on musical concepts, especially jazz, the exhibition explores how artists like Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, Alma Thomas, and Gilliam used rhythm and improvisation to evolve color, form, and movement beyond Abstract Expressionism. The show also highlights Gilliam's shift to dynamic, sculptural painting by draping unstretched canvases. Drawing from MMoCA’s permanent collection, the exhibition will showcase some rarely seen and recently restored works of art, like these below.