Sacred Surface, Yosemite Falls – photograph by Susan Conner
Yosemite Renaissance 35 Art Exhibit
Dates: February 22 – May 3, 2020 *Park closed due to COVID-19 pandemic on March 20, 2020. Hours: No longer on display
Yosemite Renaissance is an annual exhibit that presents diverse artistic interpretations of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada by artists from across the country. This year, 70 works were selected from 811 entries. The exhibit includes paintings, prints, textiles, mixed media, photographs, and 3-dimensional works.
Yosemite Renaissance was founded in 1985 to encourage artists to share new interpretations of the region, explore environmental issues, and celebrate nature through art. By creating a continuum of artworks inspired by the region from historical times to the present, the organization seeks to inspire a new generation of people to understand, preserve and protect our wild lands and natural places.
Yosemite Lenscape: From Inspiration to Obsession
Dates: May 31 – October 27, 2019 Hours: No longer on display
One hundred and sixty years after the first picture was taken in Yosemite Valley, photography has done so much to shape the human experience of Yosemite National Park. This exhibit presents four frames for thinking about how photography has left a lasting impact on one of America's favorite parks; how early photographers shaped the park's origin, how researchers use modern-day imagery to make new discoveries, how social media is changing the way we interact with the natural world, and how you, the visitor, celebrate and share your Yosemite experiences. After you visit the gallery, join in the conversation by posting your pictures with the hashtag #YosemiteLenscape.
Brown Creepers No. 2, Photograph by David Hoffman
Yosemite Renaissance 34 Art Exhibit
Dates: February 22 – May 5, 2019 Hours: No longer on display
Yosemite Renaissance is an annual exhibit that presents diverse artistic interpretations of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada by artists from across the country. This year, 62 works were selected from 640 entries. The exhibit includes paintings, prints, textiles, mixed media, photographs, and 3-dimensional works.
Yosemite Renaissance was founded in 1985 to encourage artists to share new interpretations of the region, explore environmental issues, and celebrate nature through art. By creating a continuum of artworks inspired by the region from historical times to the present, the organization seeks to inspire a new generation of people to understand, preserve and protect our wild lands and natural places.
Chris Jorgensen (1860-1935), Mariposa Grove, Two Sequoias, 1910.
Yosemite Viewed: 19th and 20th Century Landscape Paintings
Dates: June 1 – September 2, 2018 Hours: No longer on display
"Yosemite Viewed: 19th and 20th Century Landscape Paintings" features paintings drawn from the Yosemite Museum collection, representing a variety of styles and approaches to the artistic interpretation of this grand landscape. It includes Chris Jorgensen's 1910 painting "Mariposa Grove, Two Sequoias," Thomas Ayres' drawing "Valley of the Yosemite," along with works by Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran, two nineteenth century artists widely known for their paintings of Yosemite and other national parks.
Rachel Ivanyi Permanence? The California Spotted Owl Watercolor
Yosemite Renaissance 33 Art Exhibit
Dates: February 24 – May 6, 2018 Hours: No longer on display
Yosemite Renaissance is an annual exhibit that presents diverse artistic interpretations of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada region by artists from across the country. The 33rd annual Yosemite Renaissance exhibit features 65 works were selected from 820 entries . The exhibit includes paintings, sculpture, textiles, photographs and 3-dimensional works.
Yosemite Renaissance was founded in 1985 to encourage artists to share new interpretations of the region, explore environmental issues, and celebrate nature through art. By creating a continuum of artworks inspired by the region from historical times to the present, the organization seeks to inspire a new generation of people to understand, preserve and protect our wild lands and natural places.
Binh Danh, Yosemite Falls, May 21, 2011
Daguerreotype. Courtesy of the artist.
Landmark: Yosemite Through the Lens of Contemporary Landscape Photography
Dates: November 18, 2016 through January 22, 2017 Hours: No longer on display
The Yosemite Museum is hosting this special display of contemporary landscape photography in celebration of the National Park Service centennial. This traveling exhibition, curated and organized by Cara Goger of the Mariposa County Arts Council, features the work of Binh Danh, Mark Klett, Byron Wolfe, Ted Orland, Millee Tibbs and Jerry Uelsmann. These contemporary artists bring new representation and varied voices to the genre of landscape photography, which has been such an integral part of the park’s history. The Yosemite venue for this traveling exhibit will also feature historic photographs and ephemera from the Yosemite Museum collection to help place these contemporary works in their historic context. This exhibit was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Rare Sighting
Trowzers Akimbo
Yosemite Renaissance 32 Art Exhibit
Dates: February 25 – April 30, 2017 Hours: No longer on display
Yosemite Renaissance is an annual exhibit that presents diverse artistic interpretations of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada by artists from across the country. This year, 65 works were selected from 846 entries. The exhibit includes paintings, sculpture, textiles, photographs and 3-dimensional works.
Yosemite Renaissance was founded in 1985 to encourage artists to share new interpretations of the region, explore environmental issues, and celebrate nature through art. By creating a continuum of artworks inspired by the region from historical times to the present, the organization seeks to inspire a new generation of people to understand, preserve and protect our wild lands and natural places.
Bufo canorus (now Anaxyrus canorus) a Yosemite toad specimen from the museum collection (Catalog No. YOSE 22240)
Why Yosemite Collects: 90 Years, 90 Objects, 90 Stories
Dates: May 31 – November 1, 2016 Hours: No longer on display
This exhibit celebrates the 90th anniversary of the opening of the Yosemite Museum and features a display of the wide variety of artifacts, documents and specimens that the museum preserves. Why do parks have collections? What does the museum have to do with the beginnings of philanthropy in national parks, the development of interpretive programs or scientific research? Stop by and see, and vote for your favorite artifact while you are visiting. This exhibit was made possible through the generous support of Yosemite Conservancy donors.
Sentinel in Winter
Kris Lael Temple
Yosemite Renaissance 31 Art Exhibit
Dates: February 27 – May 1, 2016 Hours: No longer on display
Yosemite Renaissance is celebrating its thirty-first year with an exhibit of 55 paintings, photographs, prints and sculptures by fifty artists. Drawn from 973 entries, a record amount, this year's exhibit includes a broad range of works from the representational to the abstract, all interpreting the majesty of Yosemite and the Sierra.
The goals of Yosemite Renaissance are to bring together the works of contemporary artists that do not simply duplicate traditional representations; to establish a continuum with past generations of Yosemite artists; and to help re-establish visual art as a major interpretive medium of the landscape and a stimulus to the protection of the environment. It is the hope of Yosemite Renaissance that they can help preserve, protect and expand our parks.
Thomas Moran, [Bridalveil Fall], 1924.
Yosemite Viewed: Landscape Paintings of the 19th and 20th Centuries
Dates: June 1 – November 1, 2015 Hours: No longer on display
"Yosemite Viewed: Landscape Paintings of the 19th and 20th Centuries" features paintings drawn from the Yosemite Museum collection, representing a variety of styles and approaches to the artistic interpretation of this grand landscape. It includes Thomas Ayres' 1855 drawing "Valley of the Yosemite," one of the earliest representations of the park, along with works by Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran, two nineteenth century artists widely known for their paintings of Yosemite and other national parks.
"A Touch of Light." Dennis Curry, oil from Yosemite Renaissance XXX Exhibit
Yosemite Renaissance XXX Art Exhibit
Dates: February 28 – May 10, 2015 Hours: No longer on display
Yosemite Renaissance is celebrating its thirtieth year with an exhibit of 49 paintings, photographs, prints and sculptures by forty-seven artists. Drawn from 750 entries, this year's exhibit includes a broad range of works from the representational to the abstract, all interpreting the majesty of Yosemite and the Sierra.
The goals of Yosemite Renaissance are to bring together the works of contemporary artists that do not simply duplicate traditional representations; to establish a continuum with past generations of Yosemite artists; and to help re-establish visual art as a major interpretive medium of the landscape and a stimulus to the protection of the environment. Historically, the arts have played a major role in the establishment of our parks. It is the hope of Yosemite Renaissance that they can be just as important in future efforts to preserve, protect and expand our parks.
Richard Lopez, Brace of Winter Trees, oil stick/oil, 22 x 30
Yosemite Museum Collection (YOSE 90233)
Rooms with a View:
Three Decades of Yosemite Artists-in-Residence
Dates: October 31, 2014 through January 19, 2015 Hours: No longer on display
The National Park Service and Yosemite Renaissance are celebrating Yosemite artists-in-residence with an exhibit of 51 paintings, photographs, prints and sculptures by 29 artists. During the past 30 years, this program has provided lodging for over 120 artists in or near Yosemite to allow them uninterrupted time to experience and interpret the landscape, environment, wildlife and people of the area. Pieces in the exhibition are drawn from the park's museum collection, private collections and the artists.
Yosemite Falls, ca. 1863 George H. Burgess (1831-1905) Watercolor on paper Bequest of Helen H. Ashton (YOSE 26809)
Yosemite, the Grand Experiment
Dates: June 3 – October 18, 2014 Hours: No longer on display
The Yosemite Grant of 1864 was the first attempt by a nation to protect an extraordinarily scenic landscape. It became the experimental model for land preservation throughout the world. Yosemite was, and still is, an evolving example of what a national park should be.This exhibit commemorates this landmark legislation signed 150 years ago.
Photographs and paintings of visitors and the landscape from the park museum's extensive collection, including some of the earliest Yosemite images, are on display as well as unique historic documents and field notes. Early survey equipment and maps will also be included.
This exhibit was made possible by the generous support of Yosemite Conservancy donors.
Photographer Ted Orland speaks about the importance of photography in Yosemite's early history.
Duration:
2 minutes, 25 seconds
Cultural demonstrator Maggie Howard and Ranger Bert Harwell behind the museum with a group of visitors, 1931.
Sharing Traditions: Celebrating Native Basketry Demonstrations in Yosemite 1929-1980
Dates: June 4 – October 31, 2013 Hours: No longer on display
This exhibit focuses on the weavers in the Indian Cultural Program, who have connected with hundreds of thousands of park visitors through their basket-weaving demonstrations. The work of Maggie Howard, Lucy Telles, and Julia Parker will be featured, as well as the contributions of Alice Wilson and Craig Bates. In addition to the baskets, paintings, ephemera, and archeological artifacts on display, historic film footage and photographs will be shown. This project was made possible through the generous support of Yosemite Conservancy donors.
Michael Frye, Reeds and Cloud Reflections, color photograph
Yosemite Renaissance XXVII
Dates: February 23 – May 5, 2013 Hours: No longer on display
Yosemite Renaissance celebrates its 28th year with an exhibit of 46 paintings, photographs, prints and sculptures by 41 artists. Drawn from almost 600 entries, this year's exhibit includes a broad range of works from the representational to the abstract, all interpreting the majesty of Yosemite and the Sierra.
The goals of Yosemite Renaissance are to bring together the works of contemporary artists that do not simply duplicate traditional representations; to establish a continuum with past generations of Yosemite artists; and to help re-establish visual art as a major interpretive medium of the landscape and a stimulus to the protection of the environment. It is the hope of Yosemite Renaissance that they can help preserve, protect and expand our parks.
The artists included in Yosemite Renaissance XXVIII are: Rebecca Alex, Annie Barrett Cashner, Stacey Best, Calvin Bohner, Andrea Broglio, Sue Chapman, Jane Culp, Steve Curl, Clark Davidson, Steve Emery, Ira Estin, William Bradford Frost, Michael Frye, Franka Gabler, Jeff Grandy, Peggy Hansen, David Hoffman, Daniel Horner, Iretta Hunter, Kirk Keeler, Susan J. Klein, Kristal Leonard, Maria Lupo, Jon McCormack, Michael Paul McKay, G. Dan Mitchell, Vidya Narasimhan, Penny Otwell, David Peterson, Troy Poeschl, George Robertson, Hugh Sakols, Ronald Saunders, Jeffrey Skelly, James Swanson, Mike Tauber, Joanna Taylor, Lance Trott, Richard Wagener, Kathyanne White and Brian Wolf.
The exhibit will travel to the Kings Art Center (Hanford), June-July, and the Carnegie Arts Center (Turlock), August-September.
Yosemite Renaissance is a non-profit organization for the arts of Yosemite, supported, in part, by funds and services from the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts and the National Park Service.
Dates: June 4 – September 30, 2012 Hours: No longer on display
"Yosemite Viewed: Landscape Paintings of the 19th and 20th Centuries" features paintings drawn from the Yosemite Museum collection, representing a variety of styles and approaches to the artistic interpretation of this grand landscape. It includes Thomas Ayres' 1855 drawing "Valley of the Yosemite," one of the earliest representations of the park, along with works by Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran, two nineteenth century artists widely known for their paintings of Yosemite and other national parks.
"Birch Lake, near Hetch Hetchy." Stephen Curl watercolor from Yosemite Renaissance XXVII Exhibit
Yosemite Renaissance XXVII
Dates: Feb. 25 – May 6, 2012 Hours: No longer on display
Yosemite Renaissance celebrates each year with an art exhibit of paintings, photographs, prints and sculptures that interpret the majesty of Yosemite and the Sierra. In 2012, Yosemite Renaissance XXVII completed its 27th year on exhibit--drawing from more than 700 entries from the representational to the abstract. Yosemite Renaissance aims to bring together the works of contemporary artists that do not simply duplicate traditional representations; to establish a continuum with past generations of Yosemite artists; and to help re-establish visual art as a major interpretive medium of the landscape. Yosemite Renaissance is a non-profit organization, supported, in part, by funds and services from the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the National Park Service, and the Ansel Adams Gallery.
During the 1900s, visitors could enjoy the Glacier Point Hotel.
Dates: June 8 – Oct. 31, 2011 Hours: No longer on exhibit
This exhibit of artwork, historic artifacts and souvenirs relates to the period 1900-1946 in Yosemite. Oral history records and digitized historic film footage and photographs complement the display.
Dates: June 16 – Oct. 31, 2010 Hours: No longer on display
This exhibit featured paintings, prints, artifacts, and ephemera from Yosemite's early years. Historic hotel registers and the Grand Register of the Cosmopolitan were also on view. The exhibit included an interactive kiosk related to the Grand Register and a digital slide show of historic visitors and hotels.
