Upcoming Art Exhibitions
See what is coming up next in various galleries across the Arboretum. Exhibitions change every couple of months.
Thin Veils and Fluid Borders
Oct. 3-Nov. 23, 2026Reedy GalleryBy juxtaposing the fluid transparency of watercolor, the rich, worked texture of oil, and the spectral light of photography, this show challenges the viewer to move beyond the literal. “Thin Veils and Fluid Borders” invites us to look past the geography of the land and instead feel its pulse. Together, these works create a collective meditation on how the environment shapes our internal mood, presenting the landscape as a living, breathing entity that shifts with the light and the mind's eye. As you move through the space, you'll see a striking conversation unfold between three distinct media: the fluid, weightless transparency of Nanci Yermakoff’s watercolors; the thick, deeply layered textures of Jamie Lauler’s oil paintings; and the spectral light of Brian Billadeau’s photography.
Chasing Flowers: One Artist, A Thousand Blooms
Oct. 29, 2026-Jan. 6, 2027Cafe GalleryIn the natural world, a flower blooms for only a set period of time—holding its breath in a brief, brilliant display before returning to the earth. But in Chasing Flowers, the garden never fades.
Amy Coulombe preserves the fleeting beauty of flowers through a diverse collection of styles, refusing to settle into a single medium. From the dreamlike drift of imaginary flowers using alcohol ink to the rich textures of oil and cold wax, and the playful depth of acrylic and collage, Amy creates a wide assortment of blooms, keeping the exhibition exciting, fresh, and new.
Nature Through a Baroque Lens
Nov. 25, 2026-Jan. 24, 2027Reedy GalleryIn a dramatic departure from the quiet traditions of botanical illustration, Jonathan Aller presents a series of "portraits" in which the natural world takes on muscular, vital forms rather than scientific accuracy. Borrowing from the theatrical language of Peter Paul Rubens, this exhibition reimagines the vegetable, plant, tree and the vine as figures of high drama -glossy, undulating and brimming with a fleshy, organic life force. The artist utilizes deep chiaroscuro to pull these forms out of the shadows, bathing them in the same luminous, golden light once reserved for saints and royalty.
Hidden Legacies: A MACRO-cosm of Native Seeds
Jan. 28-April 11, 2027Reedy Gallery“Hidden Legacies: A MACRO-cosm of Native Seeds” is a fine-art photography exhibition that magnifies the wonder, beauty and critical role of seeds in our global ecosystem. Using macrophotography and high-resolution stacked images, this collection transforms the minuscule, often overlooked vessels of plant life into monuments of natural history.
Each photograph serves as a testament to the complex biological artistry of plants, meticulously documenting not only their aesthetic wonder but also their critical role in maintaining Earth’s fragile biodiversity.
At a time when shifting landscapes, climate volatility and habitat fragmentation test the resilience of regional flora, “Hidden Legacies” pulls back the veil on the ingenious evolutionary strategies plants use to move, adapt and survive. From the silk-tufted wind glider seeds of prairie plantain to the explosive catapult seed pods of lance-leaf violet, these photographs reveal each plant’s unique seed dispersal method and capture the intricate textures, geometric patterns and defensive armor of seeds in crisp, hyper-detailed metal prints.
Far from the dull, lifeless routines often associated with scientific study, the hidden world of seeds is a masterclass in organic design. By bridging hard science and fine art, the exhibition transforms a plant’s seed dispersal into a deeply intimate experience, revealing the unexpected aesthetic genius packed into the smallest living vessels.