Art That Matters to the Planet: Wild America

Description

Art That Matters to the Planet: Wild America
March 22 – July 27, 2025

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY, invites artists to submit work for our fourth annual juried exhibition of Art that Matters to the Planet.

Art that Matters to the Planet explores the ways in which art and artists can help to shape a more sustainable future. Art that Matters to the Planet: Wild America will coincide with the 70th anniversary of the publication of Wild America: The Record of a 30,000 Mile Journey Around the Continent by a Distinguished Naturalist and His British Colleague, by Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher.

We are pleased to announce that Kenn Kaufman will be serving as the juror for 2025. Kaufman is an American author, artist, naturalist, and conservationist who was strongly influenced by the artwork and writing of Roger Tory Peterson. In particular, Wild America inspired Kenn to pursue birds all over North America while he was still a teenager.

With Art that Matters to the Planet: Wild America, we will consider three main themes:

Exploration. In the spirit of the Big Year, we encourage submissions from artists who incorporate exploration of, knowledge about, and advocacy for the wild places of North America.

Place-based artworks. We hope to see artworks that share the unique spirit of the wilderness around you in a way that inspires us to discover it or re-discover it through new eyes.

Environmental impact. With this exhibition, we hope to learn about the impact of conservation efforts which have taken place over the past 70 years, as well as ongoing efforts to preserve the natural world.