Special Exhibitions
Survey the West:
A Cross-Continental Reflection
February 15 – May 18, 2025
Internationally recognized Tampa-based artist Ya La’ford journeyed to the American West in 2022 to explore its land, cultures, and history. In just a few months, La’ford produced a body of work based on her expedition that presents a fresh interpretation of the West, intertwining her distinctive linear labyrinths with imagery inspired by geological features shaped over millions of years.
This exhibition acknowledges and challenges how we determine boundaries through the historical process of surveying land, while also offering the idea that, beyond the drawn lines, there is boundlessness; the West connects us alI.
Ya La’ford, Teton Series (detail), 2022. Courtesy of Ya La’ford Studios.
This exhibition has been organized by the artist in collaboration with The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art.
Icons & Symbols of the Borderland: Art from the U.S.-Mexico Crossroads
August 24, 2024 – January 19, 2025
Icons & Symbols of the Borderland: Art from the U.S.-Mexico Crossroads highlights the unique culture and rich tradition of the U.S.-Mexico border region. Featuring paintings, collage, neon, photos and sculpture, this exhibition explores the shared experiences of those living and working along this controversial landscape. Themes such as environment, borders, foodways, and the sacred and profane are highlighted, with recurring symbols contextualizing the collective identity of the borderland region.
Oscar Moya, Borderline, 2016 (acrylic on canvas)
This exhibition is organized and curated by Diana Molina.
Flight of the Mind:
Paintings by Marcus C. Thomas
November 9, 2024 – January 5, 2025
A selection of artworks by Marcus C. Thomas, a quadriplegic mouth painter, will be on view in the Earth and Humanity Foundation Wildlife Gallery. The artist channels imagination, talent and perseverance into detailed paintings of the natural world.
Presenting Sponsor: Mark T. & Marianne Mahaffey
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: ENVISIONING WILDLIFE AND WILDERNESS WITH THE BIG FOUR, MASTERWORKS FROM THE RIJKSMUSEUM TWENTHE AND THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART
February 17 – May 26, 2024
Survival of the Fittest at The James Museum exhibited 45 masterworks by European painters—German-American Carl Rungius, Germans Richard Friese and Wilhelm Kuhnert, and Swedish Bruno Liljefors. Known as the Big Four, they revolutionized Western perceptions of wildlife. The exhibition explores their impact within the contexts of colonialism, Darwinism and art history.
Survival of the Fittest: Envisioning Wildlife and Wilderness with the Big Four, Masterworks from the Rijksmuseum Twenthe and the National Museum of Wildlife Art is curated by Adam Duncan Harris, Grainger/Kerr Director of the Carl Rungius Catalogue Raisonné and organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
Reception Sponsor – Freeman’s
Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Wilhelm Kuhnert (Germany, 1865 – 1926), African Lions, c. 1911. Oil on canvas. 64 x 50 inches. JKM Collection®, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
FROM FAR EAST TO WEST:
THE CHINESE AMERICAN FRONTIER
October 14, 2023 – January 28, 2024
Immerse yourself in stories of resiliency and self-determination in From Far East to West: The Chinese American Frontier. From the Gold Rush and the Transcontinental Railroad to the development of Chinatowns and Angel Island, the contemporary work of Chinese American artists Hung Liu (1948 – 2021), Mian Situ, Jie Wei Zhou and Benjamin Wu transports guests back in time to gain insight into what life was like for early Chinese immigrants who helped build the American West.
Now available as a virtual exhibition!
This exhibition is organized by The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art.
Hung Liu (1948-2021), Polly and Her Horses, 2008, mixed media. On loan from the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Gift of the Artist Hung Liu and Trillium Graphics/David Salgado. © 2023 Hung Liu Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
UN/NATURAL SELECTIONS:
WILDLIFE IN CONTEMPORARY ART
June 10 – September 17, 2023
Drawn from the collection of the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Un/Natural Selections centers on wildlife images from the last two decades that dynamically confront categorizations and speak to the significance of wildlife in art – in unconventional ways. The variety of art explores the relationship between humanity and the natural world with the artists’ personal narratives woven throughout.
Un/Natural Selections: Wildlife in Contemporary Art is organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Generous support provided by Art Bridges.
Peter Gerakaris (United States, b. 1981), Caravan (Owl), 2012. Oil on canvas. 84 x 84 inches. Purchased with funds generously donated by Adrienne and John Mars, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Peter Gerakaris. M2016.042
THE STORIES THEY TELL: INDIGENOUS ART AND THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF EDWARD S. CURTIS
February 4-May 14, 2023
Material culture goes beyond the relationship between people and things, it informs a way of knowing. Utilizing photogravures specific to Indigenous material culture by Edward S. Curtis as a starting gate, this exhibition displays correlating Native art from the 20th and 21st centuries. The show is presented in three sections: Southwest Pueblo pottery, California basketry, and Northwest Coast carving and textiles. Each section reflects on how objects harbor memories and tell stories about a time, a place, and a people.
This exhibition is organized by The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art.
PRESENTING SPONSOR: ROBB & SUSAN HOUGH
Left: Edward S. Curtis, Girl and Jar – San Ildefonso, 1905
Right: Tony Da, San Ildefonso Lidded Sgraffito Jar, c. 1980
BLACK PIONEERS:
LEGACY IN THE AMERICAN WEST
September 3, 2022 – January 8, 2023
This exhibition, the first of its kind ever, explores the path of Black history in the West with a timeline of original pictorial quilts. Dispelling the myth that Black people in the old West were mostly cowboys, Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West, shows rich diversity in their occupations and achievements in society, religion, education, and the arts.
This exhibition is organized by The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art and Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, curator, historian and artist. The quilts have been created by the Women of Color Quilters Network especially for this exhibition.
Sandra Noble, Annie Box Neal, 2021, ©Sandra E. Noble
ANSEL ADAMS: THE MASTERWORKS
April 9 – July 31, 2022
This exhibition includes 32 black and white gelatin silver prints, spanning four decades of photography. The Masterworks showcases the skill and talent through which Ansel Adams captured the majesty of National Parks, the unique peoples of New Mexico and the ever-changing landscapes of America. Masterworks contains some of Adams’ most well-known images, such as Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico; Aspens, Northern New Mexico; and Winter Sunrise, The Sierra Nevada. This exhibition invites the viewer to see and feel how Adams experienced America—a place of vast natural wonder, breathtaking beauty and worthy of environmental protection.
Ansel Adams: The Masterworks is a traveling exhibition created by the Booth Western Art Museum.
Sand Dunes, Sunrise, Death Valley National Monument, ca. 1948
Photograph by Ansel Adams
Collection Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona
©2016 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust
From the collection of Virginia Adams Mayhew.
Clyde Butcher:America The Beautiful
April 9 – July 31, 2022
Clyde Butcher’s photographs reveal wild and natural places where few humans have ventured, with images capturing remarkable solitude and wonder. His large-scale dramatic images are a valued artistic expression of what we have, and what we might lose if we do not protect our environment. Butcher grew up in California and later relocated to Florida, finding peace and his life’s mission within the Everglades. Butcher is an ambassador to the arts and environment, a diplomat of the remaining wild places, and an emissary to the hearts and minds of Americans to protect our country’s natural places.
Clyde Butcher: America the Beautiful is an exhibition organized by Window of the Eye, Inc.
Clyde Butcher, Escalante River Canyon 1, 1977, silver gelatin print
Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories
January 28 – March 16, 2022
Beginning in the late 19th century and into the 20th century, the United States government aimed to eradicate Native American cultures through forced assimilation of children via federally operated, off-reservation boarding schools. Thousands of children were removed from their families and communities, and were stripped of their languages, religious practices, and community connections. They were trained for domestic labor and forced to work in strict regulated environments. Students sometimes went years without familial contact, which caused lasting, multi-generational impact.
Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories, on view at The James Museum January 28 through March 16, shares the experiences of some of the students who were affected. Historical photographs, objects, interactive timelines, and interviews tell individual stories of pain, heartbreak, and resilience. While the Indian boarding school system caused generational trauma, Native American tribes today are working to heal, reclaim, and share their cultures and this hidden chapter in American history.
This exhibition is made possible by NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It was adapted from the permanent exhibition, Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories, organized by The Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. It was adapted and toured for NEH on the Road by the Mid-America Arts Alliance. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Sioux children on their first day at school, 1897; photograph, variable size; Courtesy of Library of Congress.
WARHOL’S WEST
October 2, 2021 – January 9, 2022
Warhol’s work in the Western genre is recognizable, daring, inspirational and sometimes confrontational. This exhibition furthers our understanding of how the American West infiltrates the public’s imagination through contemporary art and popular culture.
Warhol’s West was organized by Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA, and the Cochran Collection, LaGrange, GA.
ERGO SUM: A CROW A DAY
June 19, 2021 – September 6, 2021
In 2014, Canadian-born artist Karen Bondarchuk set out to mark the passing time that her mother – diagnosed with dementia in 2010 – no longer could. For 365 days, she produced a crow a day on a small hand-cut panel, remembering her mother as she once was and grieving her loss. The resulting body of work explores communication and an artist’s relationship to the world; it resonates for its depth, beauty, and whimsy.
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor: Bayfront Health St. Petersburg & Gold Patron: USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute.
This exhibition is organized by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI.
Karen Bondarchuk, Untitled, c. 2014 (detail)
Aaron F. Henderson, 400 Years, 2019, gouache on paper
REVERBERATIONS
Black Artists on Racism & Resilience
June 19, 2021 – August 29, 2021
Presented by the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, REVERBERATIONS shares artwork from emerging and established Black artists who live and work in Tampa Bay and across the Southeastern United States. Through each artist’s own perspective, this exhibition will challenge viewers with stories of structural racism and oppression, as well as celebrate hope and resilience.
ARTISTS FOR CONSERVATION: INTERNATIONAL EXHIBIT OF NATURE IN ART
March 13, 2021 – May 23, 2021
Leap, dash or soar with us into a world of vibrant color, meticulous precision and artistic passion for animal conservation. Artists for Conservation International Exhibit of Nature in Art features 60 paintings and sculptures that awaken our responsibility to conserve the diversity and wonder of our natural world.
Paintings and sculptures tell stories of natural diversity that is being lost and human factors affecting it. Art can play a critical role in informing and emotionally connecting the public to wildlife and driving a change for the better.
Jacquie Vaux, Eyes of a Persian Leopard, 2020, watercolor
Blake Little, Jerry Hubbard, Burbank, California, 1989
Blake Little: Photographs from the Gay Rodeo
September 5, 2020 – February 14, 2021
Blake Little: Photographs from the Gay Rodeo, explores the diverse and complex nature of individual and community identity in Western rural culture. Taken between 1988 and 1992 at events from Oklahoma to California, the collected body of images combines the action of riding, roping and chute dogging with intimate views into the lives of rodeo participants, examining themes of competition and community and inviting an expansive redefinition of cowboy identities.
Spirit Lines: Helen Hardin Etchings
December 21, 2019 – March 1, 2020
The colorful copper plate etchings of Santa Clara Pueblo artist Helen Hardin (1943-1984) celebrate her Native heritage as well as modern interpretations and techniques. Hardin’s art is featured alongside paintings by her mother, Pablita Velarde, and sculptures by contemporary Santa Clara Pueblo artist Tammy Garcia.
Helen Hardin, Mimbres Kikipelli, 1984
Karen Hackenberg, Fossil Feud, 2016
Environmental Impact II
August 24, 2019 – December 1, 2019
Florida Shines On: PARC Artists
September 2019
The Inspired Artist Studios @ PARC is a career advancement initiative for artists of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities wishing to participate in Florida’s thriving creative industry. The James Museum proudly supports PARC’s artists with this traveling exhibition.
Lisa T., A Day at the Park
Edward Curtis, An Oasis in the Badlands – Sioux, 1905, platinum print
The Cultural Connections of Edward S. Curtis
April 6, 2019 – July 21, 2019
In the first decades of the 20th century, American photographer Edward S. Curtis traveled the country to document “vanishing” Native American cultures with his cameras, producing thousands of images. Expressive portraits and scenes from daily life captured a humanity and a romantic view that appealed to the Anglo-American public of the day. His respect for Native people was ahead of his time, and the relationships he nurtured allowed for information gathering that would otherwise have been lost to history. Step back in time to explore tribal traditions and early photographic processes with premiere images on loan from the Robb and Susan Hough collection.
James Michaels: An American Pop Life
November 17, 2018 – March 3, 2019
Inspired by popular culture, childhood memories, and life experiences, Michaels’ colorful canvases are visually bold and boldly personal. Included in his works are art history references alongside depictions of classic toys and cartoons, showing his range of contrasting influences. This one-man exhibition showcases Michaels’ ability and vision to work in a variety of styles over his decades-long career.
James Michaels, True Romance, 1996
John Plishka, Coil
Society of Animal Artists: Art and the Animal
July 28, 2018 – October 23, 2018
Our inaugural exhibition was organized in collaboration with The Society of Animal Artists (SAA). SAA is devoted to promoting excellence in the artistic portrayal of the creatures sharing our planet, and to the education of the public through art exhibitions, seminars, and demonstrations. This juried exhibition featured 125 sculptures and paintings by artists from around the world.
Perseverance:
A Woman’s Journey West
June 14 – September 28, 2025
This exhibition presents 19th century farm life and an Oregon Trail journey inspired by a woman’s journal. Pioneer Keturah Belknap (1820–1913) documented her experiences in the 1840s, bringing to life a uniquely female perspective of westward migration.
American artist Heide Presse came across the journal penned by Belknap and envisioned a series of paintings and drawings. Perseverance showcases Presse’s remarkable artistic talent and diligent research of this time period. She learned to sew historically accurate quilts and clothing and collected period furniture and artifacts, some of which are on view in the exhibition.
The show also serves as a poignant tribute to the determination and resilience of pioneer women like Keturah Belknap. The writings offer a glimpse of personal experience from almost 200 years ago, and Presse’s artistic interpretations bring to light a slower pace and simpler time.
This exhibition has been organized by the artist in collaboration with The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art.
Heide Presse, And I Shall Give You Rest, 2023
RARE AIR: Endangered Birds, Bats, Butterflies & Bees
May 9 – September 14, 2025
RARE AIR presents detailed illustrations of 70 endangered North American species of flight in a solo exhibition by Sarah Kaizar. Both scientifically accurate and artistically engaging, Kaizar’s art makes a strong case for urgency in protecting these vulnerable creatures, several of which make their home in Florida.
With a clear environmental message, Kaizar’s work reminds viewers of the beauty of nature—and the critical importance of conservation.
Presenting Sponsor: Mark T. & Marianne Mahaffey
This exhibition has been organized by the artist in collaboration with The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art.
Sarah Kaizar, ‘Akeke’e, 2021 Gouache, pen and ink, 20 x 16 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
FROM FAR EAST TO WEST:
THE CHINESE AMERICAN FRONTIER
VIRTUAL EXHIBITION
The entire From Far East to West exhibition, which was on view at The James Museum from October 14, 2023 to January 28, 2024, is now available as a virtual exhibition on our website. The virtual tour offers an immersive experience, featuring a filmed overview of the exhibition by curator Emily Kapes, as well as an interactive map.
Immerse yourself in stories of resiliency and self-determination. From the Gold Rush and the Transcontinental Railroad to the development of Chinatowns and Angel Island, the contemporary work of Chinese American artists Hung Liu (1948–2021), Mian Situ, Jie Wei Zhou and Benjamin Wu transports viewers back in time to gain insight into what life was like for early Chinese immigrants who helped build the American West.
This exhibition is organized by The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art.
Jie Wei Zhou (b. 1962), Dragon Parade, 2012, oil on linen. The Tom and Mary James Collection. © Jie Wei Zhou. Photograph by Todd Bates.
Edward S. Curtis:
Photographer of His Time
November 8, 2025 – March 29, 2026
Curated by James Museum Associate Curator Caitlin Pendola, Edward S. Curtis: Photographer of His Time traces the evolution of Curtis’s photography from 1897 to 1927, highlighting how his work reflects the shifting artistic and cultural movements of the era. From Romanticism and Pictorialism in his early years, to Modernism and Regionalism later on, Curtis’s transformative compositions reveal his pivotal yet often overlooked role as a modern artist. The exhibition offers a unique window into the changing landscape of American art and culture, exploring the intimate influences of one of the nation’s most iconic photographers.
Presenting Sponsor – Susan & Robb Hough
Friend Sponsor – David & Helen Feinberg
This exhibition is drawn from the museum’s Robb and Susan Hough Edward S. Curtis Collection.
Edward S. Curtis, Self-portrait, 1899, photogravure. Gift of Robb and Susan Hough.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Sponsorships make it possible to bring these exhibitions to you!
Contact Debbie Sokolov about sponsorship opportunities for these and other upcoming Special Exhibitions at 727.892.4200 ext. 1034 or Debbie.Sokolov@thejamesmuseum.org