Let nature in
EXHIBITION DATES: July 22 - August 16, 2025
RECEPTION: Thursday, July 24, 2025, 5 - 8 pm
Closing RECEPTION: Saturday, August 16, 4 - 6 pm
The Painting Center is pleased to present the exhibition Let Nature In, curated by Kathleen Beausoleil and Shazzi Thomas in the Main Gallery and Project Room. The exhibition will be held in person and on Artsy from Tuesday, July 22, through Friday, August 16, 2025, with an opening reception on July 24. Let Nature In features contemporary artists who continue to engage with the natural world by offering fresh perspectives on our ever-evolving relationship with the environment. From the earliest cave paintings of trees and plants to the intricate floral motifs of 10th-century Eastern art, nature has been a constant source of creativity - an open invitation to reflect and create.
Throughout history, depictions of nature have served both artistic and functional purposes—vast landscapes were once used to strategize battles, while the detailed botanical illustrations of the 18th and 19th centuries documented plant species for scientific study. In Western art, landscape painting did not emerge as a central subject until the 16th century, leading to rich pastoral scenes and floral traditions. Artists have let nature influence their work by bringing the outside in. Claude Monet immersed himself in his water lilies, transforming the play of light on the water into a dreamlike experience. Georgia O’Keeffe magnified the beauty of flowers, pushing them toward abstraction. Andy Goldsworthy works with natural materials, creating ephemeral sculptures that unfold with the elements. For Let Nature In, we invite artists to join this timeless conversation—to reinterpret, challenge, and deepen our connection to the natural world through works that don’t just depict nature but breathe with it literally and sometimes metaphorically, letting the outside seep into our consciousness.
Artists: Kevin Arnold, Charity Baker, George Barecca, Jess Bell, Linda Benson, Yana Beylinson, Catherine Bickford, Carly Bodnar, Holly Boruck, Liza Brenner, Domenica Brockman, Justin Brooks, Charis Carmichael Braun, William Carroll, Adam Crowley, Carol Elkovich, Claire Elliott, Rick Fox, Tony Girolo, Aaliyah Gupta, Kirstine Reiner Hansen, Mary Henderson, Colleen Hoffenbacker, Shiva Jlayer, Suzanne Laura Kammin, Will Kaplan, Kate Keery, Benjamin King, Sharon Lacey, JoAnne Lobotsky, William Low, Megan Marden, Jessica Mongeon, James Mullen, Wiktoria Nędza, Colin O’Con, Jolene Powell, Mary Proenza, Naz Shahrokh, Sari Shryack, Anna Shukeylo, Susan Stillman, Joel Stoehr, Emily Stroud, Anna Teiche, Margery Thomas-Mueller, Leah Tomaino, Gillian Wainwright, Deborah Wasserman and Laura Wooten.
