Art that Matters to the Planet : Beyond Beauty
March 28–August 2, 2026
A juried exhibition at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY.
Art that Matters to the Planet explores the ways in which art and artists matter – by drawing us into a deeper relationship with nature, opening hearts and minds to the critical challenges of our time, and inspiring us to the solutions we need to address those challenges.
The theme for this exhibition draws inspiration from the work of Roger Tory Peterson, typically his series of field guides. Our 2026 theme, inspired by A Field Guide to Wildflowers, is titled Art that Matters to the Planet: Beyond Beauty. This exhibition will focus on flowering plants across the country and what they can teach us through the dual lenses of science and art.
More than just a pretty face….flowers play vital roles ecologically, biologically, culturally, and spiritually.
Heeyoung Kim will be serving as the juror for 2026. Kim is a wildflower painter who contributes to public awareness about native plants and nature conservation. She is also the first living artist to be represented by the renowned natural history art gallery, Joel Oppenheimer Gallery, in downtown Chicago.
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Location:
Roger Tory Peterson Institute
311 Curtis Street
Jamestown, NY 14701
(716) 665-2473
Images:
Poster image for Art that Matters to the Planet.
Rossi’s juried painting Le Figuier de Barbarie, 42 x 48 x 1.5 in, 2024.
Otherworldly and strange, delicate flower buds nestle between spiny daggers on the prickly pear cactus. Its broad paddles bath in warm light. Moments of realism on the flower buds draw you in. Beyond this point of familiarity, the composition invites an opportunity to linger.
