AN INVITATION ACROSS THE NATION TO EXPLORE AND EXPRESS YOUR VISION OF LIFE, LIBERTY and the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS, AS WE IMAGINE OUR AMERICAN FUTURE TOGETHER.
Renowned pianist Lara Downes marks the 250th anniversary of the United States by gathering together American communities to find common ground in exploring the core essence of our founding promise: the unalienable rights of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Lara invites YOU - Americans of all ages and backgrounds - to reflect on the concepts of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. This is your opportunity to reinterpret and reimagine these ideas from your own personal perspective. Release these words from historical narratives, from the realities of the past and the implications of the current moment. Focus them through the lens of your own vision, intentions and actions for the American future.
Submissions to The Declaration Project will be collected as a national digital archive, and featured in a video installation that will premiere at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in July 2026, as part of Lara’s multimedia concert DECLARATION, featuring a triptych of new works for piano and orchestra by Grammy Award-winning American composers Valerie Coleman, Arturo O’Farrill and Christopher Tin, respectively titled Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness.
WHY
On July 4, 2026, the United States of America will celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding. In 1776, when our country was signed into existence with the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson’s words were meant to inspire and unite the citizens of this newborn nation. “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” - an audacious vision and a bold promise of a better life. Ever since that time, we have been trying to realize these ideals for all Americans. The work continues. This quarter-century anniversary offers us an important opportunity to imagine the the potential of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness as powerful, simple, and universal ideas that can help us contribute to an American society in which we all live in freedom and equality, devoted to the pursuit of a meaningful and fulfilling collective future.
HOW
Listen to the DECLARATION playlist. It expresses the three concepts of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness through American music.
Pick one of these concepts: (1) Life (2) Liberty (3) the Pursuit of Happiness. Reflect on how it relates to your own experience and imagination.
Express your reflection in any creative form or medium (prose, poetry, visual art, music, dance) - whatever moves you!*
Submit your work using the form below!
*We ask that text submissions be no longer than 500 words. Video and audio submissions should be 2 minutes or less.
The Declaration Project is a non-partisan, unbiased initiative meant to promote empathy, community and unity. Submissions that speak negatively about specific individuals, groups or institutions will not be considered.
Accepted file formats are: (.doc .pdf .jpeg .jpg .wav .mp3 .mp4 .mov)
Questions?? Contact us at Info@TheDeclarationProject.org
MY DECLARATION PROJECT SUBMISSION
This project is made possible by generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Lynne Dobson and Greg Wooldridge, and Classical California.
