National Museum of Wildlife Art Presents From Sea to Shining Sea: Wildlife Above & Below the Waves Exhibition

The National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibition, From Sea to Shining Sea: Wildlife Above & Below the Waves, on view May 23 through August 23, 2026. Displayed in the King Gallery, this exhibition celebrates the rich diversity of aquatic life across the continent.

From the Atlantic to the Pacific, and the northern lakes to the southern marshlands, aquatic animals and waterfowl inhabit a wide range of environments in North America. Over the centuries, many artists have been drawn to creatures that spend their lives in, on, and around the water. In honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary, From Sea to Shining Sea: Wildlife Above & Below the Waves highlights the diversity of animals that call the waterways and wetlands of this continent home. This exhibition features a selection of paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings from the permanent collection or on long-term loan to the Museum. The works encompass a wide range of styles, media, and subjects and depict fish, dolphins, sea turtles, seahorses, otters, beavers, seals, sea lions, and a variety of birds, all focused exclusively on North American species. 

“Water covers more than seventy percent of our planet, yet the creatures that depend on it have long occupied the margins of our collection—and of our imagination,” says Executive Director Steve Seamons. “From Sea to Shining Sea changes that. In the year we celebrate 250 years as a nation, this exhibition asks us to look again at the rivers, marshes, coastlines, and open seas that have shaped this continent—and to see, through the eyes of generations of artists, just how extraordinary the life within them truly is.” 

Though aquatic and marine subjects appear less frequently in the permanent collection than other wildlife, they number among its most captivating works, and many have rarely been on public view. The exhibition brings together pieces by artists including Andy Warhol, Robert Bateman, Carl Rungius, Katherine Lane Weems, He Xi, and many more. 

The exhibition features nine artworks that have never before been displayed at the Museum: Chris Bacon’s Bald Eagle, George Browne’s Bass at Fly, Grant Hagen’s River Otter, Robert Kuhn’s The Way of the Eagle, George Northup’s The Hatch, Charlie Nuliavok’s Fisherman on Ice, Pavinak Petaulassie’s Loon Fishing, Colin See-Paynton’s Arctic Terns, and William Zimmerman’s Cutthroat Trout. “With such an extensive collection, we are always striving to bring new works to our visitors, and we are thrilled to share these pieces with the public for the first time,” says Curator of Art Kennis Forte, PhD.

“I think that a lot of people have very strong emotional connections to animals that live in and around the water,” says Forte. “From the playful, intelligent, and inquisitive nature of animals like dolphins and otters, to the meditative calm of sea horses and sea turtles, this exhibition offers a rare look into the aquatic worlds above and below the waves, inviting visitors to appreciate the beauty and diversity of life found in these environments.”

The public is invited to a special Sneak Peek Program on Friday, May 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The program is included with general admission and free for Museum members.

From Sea to Shining Sea: Wildlife Above & Below the Waves is generously sponsored by Bunchberry Foundation, Susan & Gary Halling, M.J. Hunt & Bernie Little, and McCrea Foundation.