50 Years of Birds in Art Takes Flight at the National Museum of Wildlife Art

The National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibition, Birds in Art, on view from October 17, 2026, through April 25, 2027. Displayed in the King Gallery and Artists’ Theater, this exhibition features 60 works selected from the Birds in Art Fifty, the 50th-anniversary edition of the exhibition, which opened at The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in fall 2025. 

Birds have long captivated artistic imaginations. They are among the creatures people around the globe encounter most often in everyday life, and across cultures and eras they have come to symbolize freedom, hope, divine intervention, and wisdom. Birds in Art explores how today’s artists carry that tradition forward. “While this exhibition focuses on a single type of animal—birds—the variety of species, styles, and artistic approaches provides visitors with an engaging experience. We hope that you will connect with the work on view and, through it, the greater natural world,” says Executive Director Steve Seamons. 

Birds in Art is an annual exhibition organized by The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, which has presented this show every year since 1976. The exhibition typically focuses on new work by contemporary artists, but this anniversary edition also looks back. More than 140 pieces were on view when Birds in Art Fifty opened, and this curated group of 60 works coming to NMWA began a national tour in January 2026. 

Featured artists include Robert Bateman, Anni Crouter, Eugen Kisselmann, Lars Jonsson, Paul Rhymer, and Monique Wales. The show highlights a variety of artistic media from acrylic and oil paintings to woodcut prints and bronze sculptures. Many of these artists are included in NMWA’s annual Western Visions Art Show + Sale every September. 

The exhibition recognizes the impact Birds in Art has had on wildlife art over the past five decades. It has helped emerging artists find new audiences, cemented the reputations of leading practitioners, and honored those who have devoted their lives to the field. “We are excited to welcome Birds in Art back to the Museum for the third time in our institution’s history,” says Dr. Kennis Forte, the Museum’s Chief Curator of Art. “ NMWA and the Woodson Art Museum share a deep devotion to wildlife art and its makers, creating clear synergy. We look forward to celebrating everything they have accomplished over the past 50 years through this special anniversary edition of their signature exhibition.” NMWA has hosted Birds in Art twice before, in 1997 and 2006.

The public is invited to a special Sneak Peek Program on Friday, October 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The program is included with general admission and free for Museum members.

Birds in Art is generously sponsored by Rudy Ruggles, Kimberly and Benjamin Willemstyn, and Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.