The PA Historical and Museum Commission and the Game Commission will host the opening of a special exhibit, “Working Together for Wildlife: Three Decades of Pennsylvania’s Nature in Art” at 10:00 a.m. on April 8  at The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg

James Vaughan, executive director of the PHMC, and Matt Hough, executive director of the Game Commission, will join museum staff and other officials to celebrate the opening of this exhibit. 

“Working Together for Wildlife: Three Decades of Pennsylvania’s Nature in Art” features 34 original paintings by 19 different Pennsylvania artists.  In the historical tradition of the Pennsylvania naturalist-artists Alexander Wilson, John James Audubon and Ned Smith, “Working Together for Wildlife” artists depict the beauty of animals in their natural habitats. 

The works highlight game and nongame animals such as the black bear, the bobcat, the gray squirrel, the great blue heron, the cardinal and the ruffed grouse – Pennsylvania’s State Bird.

Each year, the Game Commission hosts “Working Together for Wildlife,” a competition that is open to Pennsylvania artists. The Game Commission makes the winning artwork available in special edition prints and patches, with the proceeds benefitting the preservation and maintenance of Pennsylvania’s wildlife.

This entire collection will be exhibited publicly and for the first time on April 8 at The State Museum.

The opening ceremony will be followed by three Pennsylvania Wildlife presentations hosted by Wildlife Conservation Officer Michael Doherty and Senior Curator of Zoology and Botany Dr. Walter Meshaka in Nature Lab, a multipurpose demonstration space adjacent to the natural history exhibits on the third floor of The State Museum. 

Presentations are scheduled at 10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. and are included with museum admission.

The exhibit will run from April 8 to September 11 in The State Museum’s changing natural history gallery, adjacent to Mammal Hall.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 25 historic sites and museums administered by the PA Historical and Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History.

With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the colonial and revolutionary era, a pivotal Civil War battleground, and the Commonwealth's vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America’s story.

Museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m..  Admission is $7 for adults (ages 12-64), $6 for senior citizens (ages 65 and up), and $5 for children (ages 1-11).

For more information about the museum, visit the The State Museum of Pennsylvania website.

Wildlife Art Resource: Ned Smith Center for Nature & Art, Millersburg, Dauphin County

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3/21/2016