Summer 2021 Exhibit Announcement

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART ANNOUNCES FEATURED SUMMER EXHIBITIONS, INCLUDING WORK BY ANDY WARHOL

The National Museum of Wildlife Art is thrilled to announce summer 2021 exhibitions: Un/Natural Selections: Wildlife in Contemporary Art
Valued Species: Animals in the Art of Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei
Woven Together: Art and Arachnids

Un/Natural Selections: Wildlife in Contemporary Art
May 22 – August 22, 2021

This traveling exhibition considers the diverse ways that contemporary artists employ animal imagery to address humanity’s interconnectedness and ever-changing relationship with the natural world. Comprising approximately 50 artworks (c. 2000-2019) exclusively from the Museum’s permanent collection, this exhibition offers a wide range of works in a variety of media divided into four thematic sections: Tradition, Politics, Science, and Aesthetics. These sections act as overlapping chapters, investigating the ways we use animal imagery to tackle human concerns.

“The Museum is delighted to present this series of work in a new, thought-provoking way. I hope that visitors consider these particular themes in other works of art to explore our interconnectedness with wildlife,” says Dr. Tammi Hanawalt, Curator of Art at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.

Un/Natural Selections is generously sponsored by Art Bridges, Anne and Michael Moran, Long Reimer Winegar, Thomas and Elizabeth Grainger Family Charitable Fund, Maggie and Dick Scarlett Endowment, in honor of Joffa and Bill Kerr, Mays Family Foundation, and Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.

© Penelope Gottlieb, Hemerocallis fulva, 2016. Gift of the 2019 Blacktail Gala, National Museum of Wildlife Art.

Valued Species: Animals in the Art of Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei
June 5 – October 3, 2021

Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei are two incredibly familiar names in art who have both created series depicting animals. In this exhibit, the National Museum of Wildlife Art combines Warhol’s Endangered Species series from the Museum’s permanent collection with Ai Weiwei’s Zodiac (2018) series, which consists of twelve Chinese Zodiac animal portraits made of thousands of colorful, plastic bricks. Together, the unique, kaleidoscopic interpretations of real and magical creatures offer a comparative look at the similarities between the two iconic artists, with accompanying narratives that bring into question how we value both animals and art.

“Andy Warhol is one of the most asked-about artists in our permanent collection, so we’re very excited to display the Endangered Species series, especially in conjunction with Ai Weiwei!” says Hanawalt. “It’s the first time LEGOs® have been included in an exhibition at the Museum and it’ll be an interesting and fun new way to look at Ai’s zodiac heads.” Ai Weiwei’s large bronze sculptures Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (2011) was featured at NMWA in 2015 outside on the Sculpture Trail.

Valued Species is generously sponsored by Lynne and Jack Fritz, Pat Wilson, Peggy Rose Schneider Endowment Fund, Mary Anne Cree, Penny and Jeffrey Gilbert, Lachlan Hardie, Mary Jane Hunt and Bernard Little, Jackson Hole Traveler, Carol and James Linton, McCrea Foundation, Gallatin Wealth Management.

Ai Weiwei, Zodiac Heads in LEGO® – Dragon

Woven Together: Art and Arachnids
June 26 – October 16, 2021

Woven Together: Art and Arachnids is a collaboration between the National Museum of Wildlife Art and Jackson Hole community members. This exhibition was inspired by and features Beyond Beauty, an episode of the Museum’s Bisoncast video series that stars local spiders—including the recently-discovered mason spider (Castianeira sp.)! Juried works from regional artists and art from local K-12 students is also showcased. Woven Together offers a window into how art can bring us together as we all seek to find our place in this delicate web we call home. “This fun, interactive exhibit space will include spider-themed seating, a 3-D web construction, and family activities,” says Jane Lavino, Sugden Chief Curator of Education.

Woven Together is generously sponsored by the Estate of Bertram C. Raynes.

Habronattus americanus