Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The exhibition Common Sense puts America’s past in dialogue with its present. Statesman, abolitionist, and philosopher Thomas Paine's most important writings, Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–83), shaped revolutionary discourse and expanded what the colonists believed was possible for their future nation. Common Sense pairs these two foundational documents with contemporary works that speak to the ongoing quest, as Paine wrote, “to begin the world over again.”
In this episode of Highlights Tour, hear from the curatorial team, Catherine Morris, Department Chair and Sackler Senior Curator, and Kimberli Gant, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, alongside participating artists Jason Kao Hwang, Joyce Kozloff, and Maynard Monrow on how these works deliver a clear message about our current moment: Power lies with us.
Plan your visit to Common Sense through November 8, 2026: brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/common-sense
00:00 Intro to Common Sense
00:49 Thomas Paine historical texts
02:39 Paul Ramírez Jonas
04:30 Hank Willis Thomas
05:42 Kara Walker
07:18 Joyce Kozloff talks about her work
08:52 Jason Kao Hwang talks about his work
11:11 Maynard Monrow talks about his work
13:22 Ending
The exhibition Common Sense puts America’s past in dialogue with its present. Statesman, abolitionist, and philosopher Thomas Paine's most important writings, Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–83), shaped revolutionary discourse and expanded what the colonists believed was possible for their future nation. Common Sense pairs these two foundational documents with contemporary works that speak to the ongoing quest, as Paine wrote, “to begin the world over again.”
In this episode of Highlights Tour, hear from the curatorial team, Catherine Morris, Department Chair and Sackler Senior Curator, and Kimberli Gant, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, alongside participating artists Jason Kao Hwang, Joyce Kozloff, and Maynard Monrow on how these works deliver a clear message about our current moment: Power lies with us.
Plan your visit to Common Sense through November 8, 2026: brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/common-sense
00:00 Intro to Common Sense
00:49 Thomas Paine historical texts
02:39 Paul Ramírez Jonas
04:30 Hank Willis Thomas
05:42 Kara Walker
07:18 Joyce Kozloff talks about her work
08:52 Jason Kao Hwang talks about his work
11:11 Maynard Monrow talks about his work
13:22 Ending
