James Madison University is celebrating 250 years of America in Virginia by hosting a series of events aimed at helping our campus and community to engage, learn, and inspire our community to form a more perfect union. 

Save the date: March 2, 2026

JMU's VA250 celebrations kick off on March 2, 2026, in Wilson Hall auditorium with a showing and panel discussion of Ken Burns' "American Revolution" film. We will be celebrating Civics Education Week with additional faculty and community historian panels about the Shenandoah Valley during the revolutionary war, an art showcase, and a celebration of James Madison's birthday. HTH 100 Passport event.

Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation; and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst. Additional support for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was made possible, in part, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

6:30 in Union 256 | HTH 100 Passport event

Join the Student Government Association as we connect JMU students to the Harrisonburg community with conversations between student, local government, and community leaders on building an engaged civic community and what it means to be a contributor to civic life.

6:00-7:30pm in Union Ballroom | HTH 100 Passport event

The Madison Center's program, Better Conversations Together, will be holding community deliberative conversations throughout 2026 and 2027 about envisioning together our next 250 years.

Join the Madison Center for Civic Engagement for our campus-wide Day of Deliberation! This event invites JMU students, faculty, and staff to come together in small, facilitated groups to explore important questions about America’s future as we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary. Participants will engage in open, respectful conversations across differences, with groups intentionally designed to include a range of perspectives and backgrounds.

Through this interactive forum, you’ll have the chance to share your views, listen to others, and consider how we might collectively envision the next 250 years of American democracy and society. All JMU students, faculty, and staff are welcome!

2-6pm at Harrisonburg High School

A hands-on, interactive, and immersive “museum on wheels,” the VA250 Mobile Museum Experience titled “Out of Many, One” is housed in a quad-expandable tractor trailer that is traveling throughout Virginia and beyond. The mobile museum is bringing key stories of Virginia’s rich history to Harrisonburg during JMU's VA250 kickoff celebrations.

JMU shuttles will start from Godwin Transfer Center (GTC) at 2:00pm. The last shuttle will leave Harrisonburg High School at 6:00pm. The shuttle will rotate between the GTC and Harrisonburg High School for those four hours to ensure as many students and faculty are able to attend.

6:00pm in Memorial Hall Auditorium

Revolution and Religion in the Valley: A Community Conversation on the Mennonite and Brethren experience in the Shenandoah Valley during the Revolutionary War. Featuring Dr. Carl Bowman, distinguished historian of the Church of the Brethren, Elwood Yoder, leading expert on Mennonite History and interim Executive Director at the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center, and Dr. Robert Browne, professor of religion at James Madison University.

James Madison's Birthday Party and Better Conversations Over Lunch | JMU Dining

11:30am-2pm in D-Hall and E-Hall

Celebrate James Madison's birthday with lunch at D-Hall and E-Hall. Enjoy period specific food,  (including Madison's bread pudding), birthday cake. trivia and prizes, and games with JMU Dining. James Madison will be available for selfies! At 11:30am in the D-Hall garage, join the Madison Center for Civic Engagement and the Democracy Fellows for a meal in the spirit of Dolley and James' squeeze meals. Enjoy lunch and a lively and lightly facilitated conversation about topics of the day, culture, and our next 250 years. *RESERVE YOUR SPOT ON Be-Involved FOR A FREE D-Hall ENTRY.

A screening of the film "The American Constitution" and conversation with director, David Garrigus | Gillam Center for Entrepreneurship

10:00am: Conversation with David Garrigus, director of the film "The American Constitution" in the Gillam Center for Entrepreneurship.

5:00pm: Film screening of "The American Constitution" at Grafton Stovall Theater. The film, set in 1787 Philadelphia, features a superb cast of actors who bring the framers to life. Best-selling authors and leading historians masterfully reveal how George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and a cadre of unsung delegates crafted a document that changed the world.

James Madison's Birthday Bash! | Madison Historians

5-8pm in Festival Highlands

A student party celebrating our institution's namesake!  Join the Madison Historians for cake, games and trivia, dancing, and performances by JMU acapella groups.

12-7pm in Lisanby Museum on the first floor of Festival

Curator: Josh Vasely

Graphic designer: Annabel Thrush

Featuring twelve works from the Madison Art Collection and one from Americans Who Tell the Truth; presented in honor of the 100th anniversary of Robert Rauschenberg’s birth and the 250th anniversary of the start of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Statement from Student Curator:

On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Madison Art Collection will showcase works to highlight political themes integral to our national identity. Included in the collection’s exhibition will be works by celebrated modern artist Robert Rauschenberg as part of an ongoing celebration of the 100th anniversary of the artist’s birth. Also included is an exciting contribution on loan from Americans Who Tell the Truth.

Sharing the spotlight will be other notable works by artists such as Marc Chagall, Roy Lichtenstein, Ralph Goings, and Ben Shahn, among others. Their works demonstrate ideas of civil liberties, artist rights, the propagandization of fine art. These and other artists throughout history have used their work as political tools, whether intended by the artist or understood by the viewer. Through viewing Artist (r)evolutions, visitors will explore and uncover the overlap between the arts, civic engagement, and visual propaganda.

Wall Text in the Gallery:

Revolutions are more than just historical events that have faded into obscurity. They often produce lasting and widespread impacts across both regions and periods of time. These movements typically require a persistent commitment to core ideals, often in the face of violence. Examples from recent history include the Bolshevik, French, Iranian, and American Revolutions. Revolutionaries aim to create societal change rooted in fundamental principles such as personal freedoms and critiques of oppressive powers. In most cases, there is often a significant gap of time and distance between a revolution’s original ideas and the current state of the world. Consequently, contemporary perspectives tend to be shaped, often unintentionally, by historical beliefs and interpretations.

Art has historically served as a nonviolent form of personal expression, while remaining interconnected with the foundational ideas of revolutionary movements. Artists can use their medium to critically examine and challenge systems of oppression using provocative imagery, text, or materials. The thirteen works on display, twelve coming directly from the Madison Art Collection, collectively explore themes such as civil rights, artists’ rights, political propaganda, and antisemitism. While some works portray these themes more overtly than others, they all represent an artist’s decision to use the visual arts as civic engagement.

The exibit is on display from February 2 – March 20, 2026.