Exhibition Opening – Art that Matters to the Planet: Beyond Beauty

Please join us for the opening of our first major exhibition of 2026, Art that Matters to the Planet: Beyond Beauty.

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.

Each year, 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 focuses 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 (Stamen? Pistil? Calyx?), flowers play vital roles ecologically, biologically, culturally, and spiritually.

Guest juror Heeyoung Kim will be in attendance. 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.

Your ticket includes full access to the museum, charcuterie, and live music by Jade Giambrone. The RTPI bar offers a selection of wine, beer, cider, and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase.

Credit: Heeyoung Kim. Common Milkweed and Monarch (Bloom). Watercolor, 2025. Courtesy of the Artist.