People have been exploring the unparalleled scenery and bountiful wildlife of this corner of northwest Wyoming for millennia. Native people began visiting the region over 11,000 years ago, valuing this ecosystem for its natural resources and as a site of spiritual importance.
Europeans began to explore the area approximately 200 years ago. Most famously, in 1871, the Ferdinand V. Hayden Expedition arrived with a mission to document the wonders of Yellowstone. Photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran returned from the expedition with images that helped convince the U.S. Congress to establish Yellowstone as the world’s first national park in 1872. Other parks along the Rockies soon followed, including Glacier National Park in 1910 and Grand Teton National Park in 1929.
Paintings and sculptures of these iconic parks and the wildlife thriving within their borders are presented here. This region remains a haven for artists and sight-seers drawn to its intact ecosystems, dramatic scenery, and plentiful wildlife.
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Western Visions® 2024
Through September 29, 2024Western Visions® is the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s largest and longest-running fundraiser and is one of the signature events of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival.
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Full Circle: An Exhibition of Community Creation, Curation, and Collaboration
Through September 29, 2024This exhibition invites the community to be inspired by or re-interpret one of four works from NMWA’s permanent collection. Not only will the exhibition be comprised of works created by community members–it will also be curated by the community. The pieces selected from the submissions by a team of community curators will be displayed in the Wapiti Gallery alongside the inspiration prompt pieces from the permanent collection during the summer and fall of 2024.
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