Paws and reflect: Art of canines
(september 2 - november 30, 2008)

An appealing exhibit of some 50 paintings and 15 sculptures by leading artists from around the world who specialize in canine subjects. Each participating artist will exhibit 2 or 3 works, in a variety of styles, to demonstrate the range of his/her particular subject matter and versatile treatment of these beloved animals.The exhibit is touring under the direction of David J. Wagner, P.H. D., Curator and Tour Director

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The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century
(DECEMBER 16, 2008-FEBRUARY 15,2009)

This is the first traveling museum show of this century to not only look at the state of Realism painting around the world, but also compare those artworks with their historical predecessors.  Fifty-six artists are represented with 65 paintings from the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, Korea, Russia, France, Iceland, Romania, Norway, and Finland in this juried exhibit organized by the International Guild of Realism. The exhibition looks at such media as oil, acrylic, egg tempera, graphite and colored pencil to give viewers a snapshot of how Realism artists are approaching their art form today.

Paint the Parks
(March 17-May 3)

This successor to the extremely popular Arts for the Parks annual exhibitions (shown at the Gallery in 1990, 1993 and 2004) presents  the top 100 paintings chosen from hundreds of entries in the 2008 competition depicting scenes from America’s 390 national parks. The exhibit is sponsored by Paint America, a non-profit organization formed to support and promote the visual arts, beginning at the state level, and progressing to the national level.

The Stars and Stripes: Fabric of the American Spirit
(May 12-July 26)

It may be difficult to believe that our American flag has gone through twenty-seven official versions over the last two centuries.  This exhibit highlights the timeless appeal the Stars and Stripes holds for many generations of the American public by including  90 framed  examples  drawn from the Pierce Collection of American Parade Flags.

Albino R. Hinojosa: An American Realist
(August 11-September 20)

A native of East Texas, and now residing in Ruston, Louisiana, Albino Hinojosa can easily be classified as a “photo-realist” based on his works included in this exhibition.  He paints what motivates him to self-expression while his work brings to light many common everyday scenes with which we can all identify.

Turning Wood Into Art
(October 20-January 3, 2010)

This unusual exhibition features the work of forty artists from around the world whose turned-wood objects embody a provocative combination of the natural and the manmade. The field of woodturning has matured rapidly over the past two decades and has achieved an exciting level of quality, artistic expression, and technical innovation. The exhibit showcases approximately 68 objects from the Mint Museum of Craft + Design’s Jane and Arthur Mason Collection, one of the world’s foremost collections of contemporary wood sculpture.

Ultra-Realistic Sculpture by Marc Sijan
(October 27-December 20)

 Internationally recognized artist Marc Sijan, with his life-size realistic sculpture, has been featured in over 40 one-man museum exhibitions, many of which set attendance records. Sijan’s work is classically described as homages to humanity. Far from static, his subjects present a cross section of American life—a frozen sense of motion, rather than an inert passivity.  Of the artist’s work, one critic remarked “…all that’s missing is the pulse.”

Fantasies and Fairy-Tales: Maxfield Parrish and the Art of the Print
(January 26-April 11)

While recent             exhibitions of  Parrish’s  work have focused mainly on the artist’s original oil paintings, this exhibit represents the       first comprehensive sampling of  Parrish’s illustrative activity in a variety of printed media.  The exhibit will             include 41 original  lithographs, 21 Mazda General Electric calendars, 15 posters and advertisements, three books               and 67 individual magazine covers and illustrations.

In Search of Norman Rockwell’s America
(Tentative dates: May 4-July 25)

Did Norman Rockwell paint an idealized version of America, or was he painting what he really saw?  Kevin Rivoli, award-winning photojournalist for the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and many others, has been working on a book of “slice of life” photographs—real “Rockwell moments” that he witnesses every day. The book, entitled In Search of Norman Rockwell’s America, is being developed into this exhibition that presents Rivoli’s photographs side-by-side with similarly evocative Rockwell original paintings, and drawings.

Ansel Adams: The Masterworks
(August 17-December 31)

This collection of 47 photographs by Ansel Adams (1902-1984), represents about two-thirds of a selection Adams made late in his life to serve as a succinct representation of his life’s work. He felt these photographs were his best. Called “The Museum Set,” it reveals the importance Adams placed on the drama and splendor of natural environments that might not, to the ordinary passing hiker, have revealed their secrets.