Current Exhibitions

This exhibition presents America’s Everglades, the most acclaimed body of work by Clyde Butcher, and celebrates the life and legacy of Harry S. Truman, the visionary who dedicated the Everglades National Park and expanded our National Parks system.

Clyde Butcher is one of America’s foremost landscape photographers and a leading voice for environmental conservation in Florida. His accolades include the National Medal of Arts in 2022, the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government, and Florida Artists Hall of Fame recognition in 1998, the highest honor given to an artist by the State of Florida.

Through his monumental images of the Florida Everglades, Butcher captures the quiet beauty, mystery, and resilience of one of the nation’s most treasured natural landscapes. His photographs reveal the delicate balance of life within this vast wilderness, inspiring viewers to reflect on the importance of preservation and the enduring relationship between humanity and nature.

Joel Thornton, a Tallahassee-based artist, brings together a vibrant body of work shaped by many years of dedicated practice and ongoing artistic study. Born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Thornton discovered his love of painting in his youth, guided by his mother, who inspired him to create and cultivated his passion for the arts. After setting aside painting to build a career and raise a family, Thornton rediscovered his passion for painting. His paintings span portraits of both iconic figures and people from his everyday life, animals, and vibrant landscapes, all unified by his expressive use of color, attention to form, and deep interest in storytelling.

This exhibition brings together the work of five distinguished Florida artists, Beth Appleton, Mark Messersmith, Bob Bischoff, Jesse Aaron, and Bessie Harvey, whose work illuminates our evolving relationship with the natural world. Beth Appleton (b. 1949) creates intricate cut-paper assemblages shaped by a lifetime of observing Florida’s shifting landscapes. Mark Messersmith (b. 1955) is known for his vibrant, layered paintings that merge wildlife, lush vegetation, and human impact into dramatic narratives, often extending beyond the canvas with sculptural frames. Bob Bischoff (1950-2023) became known for creating large, public stained-glass installations with his wife Jo Ann Bischoff. Together, these artists’ work forms a compelling exploration of the beauty, fragility, and resilience of the natural world, inviting viewers to reflect on the connections between art, place, and the environment.

Enjoy the fourth Artists Guild exhibition of 2026, on view in the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum’s Bates Community Room and Bates Gallery through December 5, 2026. On display is artwork by Tom Anderson, Jan Austin-Hicken, Douglas Bondurant, Deborah Bullock, Tony Butkowski, Kathleen Cody-Guastella, Kathy Ferrell, Theresa Francisco, Thomas Friedman, Joy Green, Sal Guastella, Lucy Harris, Lily Lawson, Kristin Manos, Hui Chiu McClure, Nick O’Sullivan, Linda O’Sullivan, Kent Putnam, Jill Quadagno, Ann Robinson, Stephen Bennett Smith, Karen Stewart, Jay Ter Louw, James Thigpen, Mary Liz Tippin-Moody, and Georgia Turner.

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