Inaugurated in September 2007 and entering its fifth and final year, Americana: 50 States, 50 Months, 50 Exhibitions is a long-term program consisting of 50 one-month long exhibitions co-organized by the Wattis in collaboration with the CCA Graduate Program in Curatorial Practice. Each monthly installment concentrates on one of the 50 American states, presented in alphabetical order by state name, with the different exhibitions encompassing artworks, historical artifacts, curiosities, books, and other elements. All the presentations take place in the same exhibition space, the Mary Augustine Gallery, a special vitrine that has been configured in the shape of the United States. Presented in alphabetical order, the 2011-12 program will focus on 10 states, from South Dakota to Wyoming, and it will also roam to four U.S. territories and one district.

Founding support for CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts programs has been provided by Phyllis C. Wattis and Judy and Bill Timken. General support for the Wattis Institute provided by the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, Grants for the Arts / San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, Ann Hatch and Paul Discoe, and the CCA Curator's Forum.