Reflecting diverse voices, exploring themes on equity, justice, and the impact of nature
Exhibitions
Lake Series: Photographs by Lincoln Schatz
January 11 – February 22, 2026
How do we understand the passage of time? Seen together these lake photos provide a way to understand. Through this serial investigation of Lake Michigan in photography we are able to see for ourselves the shifting lake patterns over the course of days, weeks, months and years. Each day in the series is unique. No two entirely alike. As time has passed and the project has grown, the subtlety and variation that can exist as a result has grown exponentially.
At Ease in Nature 2025
November 9 – 30, 2025
At Ease in Nature is an art exhibition that features artwork created during our 2025 At Ease programs, as well as work inspired by experiences in nature from members of the Military Community.
The 2025 exhibition highlighted the diversity that can be found in nature and in the armed forces, making each stronger than they would be without it.
Before Dreams Are The Last Place We Find You
Lydia Cheshewalla
September 7 – November 3, 2025
Lydia Cheshewalla is an Osage ephemeral artist from Oklahoma, living and working in motion throughout the Great Plains ecoregion. Through the creation of site-specific land art and ephemeral installations grounded in Indigenous land stewardship practices and kinship pedagogies, Lydia engages in multivocal conversations about place and relationship.
Before Dreams Are The Last Place We Find You is on view at Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods from September 7 – November 2, 2025. This exhibition is an ephemeral, site-specific installation by Cheshewalla, created during her August residency at the Center for Humans & Nature in Libertyville, Illinois.
Exhibition Archive
The Brushwood Gallery has a long history of exhibitions. We are in the process of moving that archive to our current website.
Singularity is a Forest
January 5 – February 23, 2025
Singularity is a Forest is an exhibition of photography and poetry by Mexico City artist Álvaro Alejandro López.
He describes his series: “In our different languages the trees are mainly a generic symbol. However, if we contemplate them closely, we will find in them the diverse and the singular.This series is an aesthetic approach to the features and scars that give life to the individuality of each tree.”
10th Anniversary Enriching Life Retrospective Exhibition
March 2 – May 4, 2025
The 10th Anniversary Enriching Life – Retrospective Exhibition showcases botanical works by artist Heeyoung Kim and current and invited students of the Heeyoung Kim Botanical Art Academy she founded a decade ago at Brushwood Center. These exceptional artworks connect viewers to our wondrous planet by revealing the plant world’s most intricate details and its intimate relationships in a complex ecological web.
Featured artists: Carole Cleaver, Joann Dinneen, Marcia Glenn, Edith Harte, Nancy Johnson, Sandra Kessel, Heeyoung Kim, Andrea Kirjassoff, Claudia Lane, Meredith Lincoln, Jean Meilinger, Monica Munaretto, Pamela Najarian, Ramiro Prudencio, Sandra Robinson , Barbara Rose, Rita M Rosen, Linda Schmitt, Jane Sturgeon, Kathy Walsh, Sandra Wilcoxon, Susie Williams, and Judy Woznyj.
The Future Voyagers Exhibit
May 19 – July 6, 2025
Chicago Voyagers: The Future Voyagers Exhibit
America has always had a fascination with exploration and the outdoors. We’ve memorialized it in paintings, history books & statues where proud explorers pose heroically—their foot propped on the prow of a canoe or rocky precipice, surveying the American west. But there’s one thing all of these artworks have in common:
They’re of white men.
In partnership with Chicago Voyagers, a nonprofit whose mission is to empower local, underrepresented youth through outdoor adventure therapy programs, seven Chicago-based artists presented a two-part exhibition that visualizes the future of American exploration: one where adventure knows no gender or color.
The show included new work that features portraits of young people who participated in the Chicago Voyagers program. A youth is using outdoor exploration as a means to become a leader and impact the world in a positive way.
The exhibition at Brushwood was the first part of this two-part endeavor. There we got a first look at studies for the larger portraits that were unveiled at the final exhibition in Chicago at the Epiphany Center for the Arts.
Featured artists: Arrington, Rae Denise, Edo, Sam Kirk, Morgan Nicolette, Kevin West, Dwight White
Rooted in the Shadow of Coal: Botanical Treasures of the Waukegan Dunes
July 13 – August 31, 2025
Rooted in the Shadow of Coal: Botanical Treasures of the Waukegan Dunes. It was presented in partnership with the Driehaus Museum to explore perspectives on art and nature in association with their summer exhibition featuring acclaimed botanical artist Rory McEwen, Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature.
Rooted in the Shadow of Coal embraced the tradition of botanical art while expanding to include a wider range of artists and media, all focused on the resilient plants of the Waukegan Dunes. Each artwork in the show included a reference to at least one, and sometimes several, of these botanical wonders. What has proximity to pollution done to the site? What does it mean to have this surviving and thriving natural environment next to coal ash ponds? In this exhibition, botanical art becomes a lens to consider health, equity, and nature.
Featured artists: Beverly Behrens, Sharon Bladholm, Alexandra Blom,Jonathan Boyer, Curtis Anthony Bozif, Melissa Brummerstedt, Sinead Carus, Louise Daley, Megan Donahue, Royce Galindo, Kathleen Marie Garness, Polly Greathouse, Allison Hausladen, Catherine Hu, Ruth Hutter, Gillian Jackson, Josie Levin, Phyllis Levun-Agostino, Christina Lovering, Carol Luc, Erin McNamara, Carol Niec, Lindsay Olson, Katelyn Patton, Melissa Pierson, Amy Rosenwasser, Betty Schulte, Jane L. Sturgeon, Liliane Tran, Ellie Wasilewski, Maryann Wattelle, Amy F. Williamson
Enriching Life: 9th Annual Botanical Art Exhibition
Featuring the Work of Heeyoung Kim and The Brushwood Botanical Artists
January 7 – February 25, 2024
Brushwood Center presented visitors with a dazzling display of colorful botanical art as a relief from the winter grays. The exhibition featured works in various styles – from traditional botanical illustrations, to freer forms with an emphasis in aesthetics, and those focusing on natural history art.
The exhibiting artists were former and current students of Heeyoung Kim, founder of the Heeyoung Kim Botanical Art Academy at Brushwood Center.
Featured Artists: Ellie Brown, Denae Cedar, Carole Cleaver, Gail Dentler, Joann Dinneen, Linda England, Marcia Glenn, Susan Green, Edith Harte, Nancy Johnson, Heeyoung Kim, Hui Li, Meredith Lincoln, Jean Meilinger, Beth Plotnick, Ramiro Prudencio, Sandra Robinson, Rita M. Rosen, Linda Schmitt, Jane Sturgeon, Susie Williams, Judy Woznyj
Vigilance: Learning from the Legacies of BIPOC Environmental Leaders
March 3 – May 5, 2024
“Every day, I complain, protest and object. But it takes such vigilance and activism to keep legislators on their toes and government accountable to the people on environmental issues. I’ve been thrown in jail twice for getting in the way of big business. But I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop as long as I’m breathing. … If we want a safe environment for our children and grandchildren, we must clean up our act, no matter how hard a task it might be” – Hazel Johnson, Mother of the Environmental Justice Movement
Inspired by the above quote, Vigilance celebrated the invaluable contributions of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) leaders, voices, and individuals to the fields of environmental justice and community activism.
Featuring pieces of different mediums by artists of all ages, Vigilance was hosted in partnership with Insight Advocacy, an organization that promotes visibility and inclusion on the North Shore of Chicago. This show shared valuable insights from past leaders, and sought to inspire our next generation to join the work for a cleaner, safer, more equitable environment for all.
Featured Artists: Ciree Harris | Hayes Harris | Janea D. Harris | Mechiya Jamison | Nora Moore Lloyd | Camila Quintana Sinisterra | Vicky Tesmer | Lynn West
The Art of Convergence
May 18 – June 2, 2024
In anticipation of the multi-disciplinary performance premiere of Convergence: Health Equity in a Changing Climate in June 2024, Brushwood Center proudly featured selected visual artworks from Convergence in our gallery space!
These original works were created specifically in response to the music of Convergence, and Brushwood’s recently released report, Health, Equity, and Nature: A Changing Climate in Lake County, IL.
Artists: Natashna Anderson, Kelley Clink, Laura Horan, Lokosh, Naimah Thomas
Metamorphosis: Emerging from the Dark
June 8 – August 17, 2024
The Brood XIII cicadas emerged from their 17-year underground slumber to fill the trees with their vibrating sounds! Inspired by this extraordinary natural phenomenon, Brushwood Center presented Metamorphosis: Emerging from the Dark. As these creatures spread their newfound wings, Metamorphosis featured the work of over 30 local artists exploring the themes of transformation, rebirth, and the journey from darkness to light.
Featured Artists:
Gabriela Almonte | Leslie Armstrong | Rachel Balter | Corky Barsky | Gillian Butcher | Monica Cardestam | Sinead Carus | Ashley Chan | Ralph Skunkie Davis | Kenzie Elizabeth | Tammy Haman | Mark Hawk | Jenny Hulen| Ruth Hutter | Holly Jansen | Julia Kemerer | Sam Kennedy | Kendra Kett | Marina Kuchinski | Leslie Lenz | Phyllis Levun-Agostino | Julie Mader-Meersman | Lisa Mannion | Wendi Napoli | Anna Nardulli | Carma Lynn Park | Susan Schneider | Georgia Schwender | Megan Senate | Michelle Shostak | Cheryl Steiger | Raychel Steinbach | Swen Swihart-Decoster | Judy Woznyj
Radical Hope
September 14 – October 27, 2024
Community connection and resilience are key to navigating an
uncertain climate future, but what makes a community resilient?
What could a healthy future for all look like, and how do we hold
onto radical hope and joy in the face of such uncertainty and trauma?
Explore the challenges facing humans and our ecosystems, find new
ways to build connections, and learn about those working towards a
better future for everyone in this immersive exhibition.
At Ease in Nature
November 3 – December 1, 2024
At Ease in Nature featured artwork created during our 2024 At Ease programs, as well as work inspired by experiences in nature from members of the Military Community.
Started in 2015, Brushwood’s At Ease: Art and Wellness for Veterans initiative offers programs for Veterans, Service Members, and their families designed to empower wellbeing through nature-based art, music, and photography workshops. At Ease helps build skills in creative expression and provides Veterans with access to mental health support.
Enriching Life: 9th Annual Botanical Art Exhibition
Featuring the Work of Heeyoung Kim and The Brushwood Botanical Artists
January 8 – February 27, 2023
This exhibition of botanical art featured the work of world-renowned botanical artist, Heeyoung Kim, and her students at her Botanical Art Academy at Brushwood Center.
Featured artists: Joann Dineen, Marcia Glenn, Heeyoung Kim, Jean Meilinger, Ramiro Prudencio, Sandra Robinson, Rita Rosen, Linda Schmidtt, Jane Sturgeon, Susie Williams, Judy Woznyj
Where Are The Birds? Retracing Audubon
Krista Elrick
March 5 – April 30, 2023
John James Audubon’s birds “drawn from nature” represent one of the lasting legacies of American ornithological art, but how does the world he depicted compare to the world we live in today, and how has our view of the artist and his work changed? Artist, activist, and writer Krista Elrick’s exhibition, Where Are the Birds? Retracing Audubon, explores this idea by revisiting the history, sites and species of Audubon’s work and documenting and responding to the changes since his original visits. Using her silver gelatin photographs along with archival research, Elrick’s work documents both how the world, and the people in it, have changed, and why many are now rethinking their admiration of Audubon.
Visible
June 11 – September 2, 2023
Brushwood Center’s exhibition, Visible, presented artworks from twenty-six artists from Lake County, Chicago, and beyond. This exhibition consisted of interviews, maps, and artworks highlighting how systemic inequities impact people’s access to a healthy environment, and how our resilient community is already working to create change.
Visible was a companion exhibition to the Health, Equity, and Nature Accelerator report: Health, Equity, and Nature: A Changing Climate in Lake County, IL, working to interpret these often invisible realities into the universal language of art. In this exhibition, we examined both the findings of the report, and heard from artists as they explore the question of what health, equity, and access to nature means to them.
Featured Artists:
Natashna Anderson, Sandie Bacon, Rachel Claire Balter, Regina Bird, Kelley Clink, Matthew Cooper, Julie Cowan, Jenna Downing, John Hatlestad, Dawaune Lamont Hayes, Deborah Hirshfield, Laura Horan, Mirtha Ibarra, Julia Kemerer, Kendra Kett, Katherine H. Lampert, Carol Luc , Carolyn McMahon, Glen Moss, Carol Niec, Lilach Schrag, Mary Seyfarth, Naimah Thomas, Kayla J. Uqdah, Elizabeth Wilson, Meiqi Zhang
Connecting To Our Common Ground
September 10 – October 29, 2023
Brushwood Center, in partnership with Hyde Park Art Center and collector, artist, and environmental scientist Patric McCoy, presented an exhibition of artwork celebrating the different ways in which we connect with and are shaped by nature.
Connecting to our Common Ground was a special exhibition in honor of our 2023 Smith Nature Symposium Awardee, Baratunde Thurston. In his PBS show, America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston, Thurston travels the country to uncover our complex relationship with the outdoors. In this exhibition, we explored the ways that artists from different communities experience the natural world. How has nature been an important part of their lives? In what ways has their time outside been impacted by climate change, equity, or access? How has their relationship with nature shaped who they are as people?
This exhibition was part of the 40th Annual Smith Nature Symposium Event Series.
Featured Artists:
Paul Branton, Peter Gray, Ken Hester, Renee Robbins, Sheri Rush, Farah Salem, Preston Lewis Thomas, Julian E. Williams, Jr.
Image: One Step Beyond by Renee Robbins
Soundscapes: Visualizing the Healing Sounds of Nature
November 5 – 26, 2023
At Ease: Art and Nature for Veterans and the Military Community is a core initiative of Brushwood Center’s mission. At Ease is an innovative series of nature and art based workshops that address the challenges faced by the Military Community, helping to support their sense of well-being.
For this exhibition, Brushwood’s At Ease workshops paid special attention to how sounds – both natural and human made – can be healing forces. Soothing and rejuvenating sounds such as calming music, the rustle of leaves or the chirping of birds can have a profound impact on our well-being, offering a sense of tranquility, solace, and healing.
In this companion exhibition to this At Ease theme, we explored this idea further with artwork that visually interpreted and conveyed artists’ personal experiences and emotional responses to healing sounds.
Participating Artists:
Lia Benjamin, Maura Carlisle, Patsy Delp, Greg DuBois, Jacqui Franclemont, Ines Gardea, Ty Hanyzewski, Laura Hedien, Marie Honeywell, Janice Ivaska, Barbara Kaplan, Hilton Mark Kaufman, Patrick Kerrigan, Steve Kost, Peter Leguizamon, Gloria Lopez, Jerry Loza, Andre Metoyer, Claudia Piemontese, Lawrence (Pie) Piemontese, Dante H. Plata, Ramona Pozek, Janet Schleeter, Evelyn Smith, Andre Sperling, Christopher Starnawski, Angela Walker, Kathy Wilson, Rick Wolchuk, Joshua Zoeller
With special thanks to those who participated in the Women Military Community Retreat Watercolor Marbling, and Luminary Ceramic Workshop
