Gimme More: The Eras of American Consumption

September 2 – October 3, 2025

Carolla Arts Exhibition Center, Springfield, MO

As a species, we have always been consumers of the resources we need to survive. Up until the Industrial Revolution, we broadly approached our consumption with need-based frugality. But as the 19th century dawned, our relationship with our accoutrements drastically changed as society shifted toward a consumerist culture. Today, we consume more than ever before; from 2016-2021 we globally consumed 75% of what we did for the entire 20th century. We no longer consume what we need; we take what we covet, and then some. Gimme More: The Eras of American Consumption visually reminds us that our habits are neither fixed nor inevitable—they are choices, shaped by the values and stories we tell ourselves about what we need, deserve, and desire.