Nature can be beautiful and majestic, but it can also be cruel and unforgiving. Here, we tell stories about wildlife, but how does wildlife help us reflect on our lives?
Throughout art history, megafauna like bison, elk, and big horn sheep have been immortalized by artists, but what about microfauna? Are they any less critical to our ecosystems? Are their hardships, beauty, and struggles any less worthy of attention than those of the bear or moose?
Tiffany Deater seeks to answer these questions and more. Through her work, she aims to connect the viewer with other forms of life, sometimes by journeying through their perspectives to help us reimagine our relationships with animals, the environment, and one another, and by decentering the human perspective. The three videos in this exhibition explore how we empathize with other animals, how we value some over others, what insight we can gain from their world, and how to find our human place in the universe.
The videos are meant to challenge. They are intended to be uncomfortable. They may be hard to watch. It is worth it, because by sitting through that discomfort, Deater offers us a shortcut to understanding. Instead of waiting hours in the field, watching and listening on level with the ant and worm ourselves, she creates these moments and webs, that allow us to see a world where we are displaced, and where the beetle becomes as relatable as a dog or a cat.
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Staff Picks
Through May 10, 2026Curating this exhibit has been an exercise in collaboration, which is one of our core values at the Museum. We began by asking each staff member to make a short list of some of their favorite works in the collection. Then, the curatorial team took them to see a few of those pieces. We asked the staff to look for artworks that were not already on display and would not be part of any upcoming exhibitions. A person’s taste in art is so uniquely personal and individual to who they are. This exhibition is not only an opportunity for you to get to know our staff, but it is also a chance to discover new pieces in the permanent collection—or perhaps to see old favorites in a new light.
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Two of a Kind?
Through April 26, 2026This exhibition is an exercise in comparison. It invites visitors to consider pairs of artworks, drawn primarily from the Museum’s permanent collection, and contemplate the question posed by its title: are these artworks truly Two of a Kind?
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