Exhibitions & Events
Current Exhibition
Picturing the Prairie
Philip Juras’s exhibit of landscape paintings celebrates the rich aesthetics, ecology, and history of Illinois prairies. Over a five-year period, guided by some of the foremost prairie conservationists in Illinois and by his own research, Juras traveled from his home in Athens, Georgia, to the Chicago area and beyond to discover—and rediscover—a vision of an ecosystem that has virtually vanished in North America. More than a dozen larger sized studio canvases and many smaller field paintings depicting remnants, restorations, and imagined re-creations take the viewer on a journey of prairie landscapes from the Wisconsin border to the southern end of the state. This body of work continues Juras’s exploration of natural landscapes, especially historical grassland ecosystems.
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UPCOMING
Prairie Landscapes Rediscovered
Philip Juras will present awe-inspiring images of prairies—one of Earth’s most endangered ecosystems—and connect his art with the ecology of prairie ecosystems and their history. Juras will be joined in conversation by
Field Museum distinguished conservation ecologist and ornithologist Dr. Douglas Stotz,
Director of Chicago’s North Park Village Nature Center Amaris Alanis-Ribeiro, and
Conservation and Policy Council member for the Forest Preserves of Cook County and restoration ecologist Laurel Ross.
Keller Science Action Center Director Amy Rosenthal will moderate the conversation about the importance of prairies, local restoration efforts, and grassland birds in Chicago Wilderness and take questions from the audience. Free and open to the public but registration is required. Email dmartin@fieldmuseum.org to RSVP.
Now on View
Cultivating the Wild: William Bartram's Travels.
Cultivating the Wild focuses on six Southerners committed to reclaiming the nature of the South through art, science, and culture. Their inspiration is William Bartram, 18th century naturalist and America’s first environmentalist. 
Featured Past Exhibits
Landscapes of Chingaza (Paisajes de Chingaza)
July 31 - September 30, 2017
Biblioteca Virgilio Barco
Bogotá, Colombia
The Wild Treasury of Nature: A Portrait of Little St. Simons Island
February 20 - May 22, 2016
Morris Museum of Art
Augusta, Georgia United States
July 9 - September 11, 2016
Marietta Cobb Museum of Art
Marietta, Georgia
The Southern Frontier, Landscapes Inspired by Bartram’s Travels
January 28 - May 8, 2011
Telfair Academy
Savannah, Georgia
May 28 - Aug 14, 2011
Morris Museum of Art
Augusta, Georgia
Solo Exhibits
2021
Picturing the Prairie, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois
2020
The Art of Conservation, Circle Gallery, College of Environment and Design, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
2017
Landscapes of Chingaza (Paisajes de Chingaza), Inter-American Development Bank, Washington DC
Landscapes of Chingaza (Paisajes de Chingaza), Biblioteca Virgilio Barco, Bogotá, Colombia
2016
The Wild Treasury of Nature, A Portrait of Little St. Simons Island, Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, Marietta, GA
The Wild Treasury of Nature, A Portrait of Little St. Simons Island, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA
2015
Little St. Simons Island II, Little St. Simons Island, GA
2013
Bartram in Cherokee Country, University of Georgia Press Offices, Athens, GA
2012
Little St. Simons Island, Little St. Simons Island, GA
2011
Lost Species, Visions of Landscapes Past, Georgia Museum of Natural History, Athens, GA
Scenes from the Southern Frontier, Macon Musuem of Art and Science, Macon, GA
Exploring the Upcountry with Bartram, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC
Philip Juras: The Southern Frontier, Landscapes Inspired by Bartram's Travels, The Morris Museum, Augusta, GA
Philip Juras: The Southern Frontier, Landscapes Inspired by Bartram's Travels, The Telfair Museum, Savannah, GA
An Evening with Bartram at Wormsloe, Isle of Hope, GA
2010
Searching for Bartram's Wilderness: Studies from the Field, Oconee Cultural Art Foundation, Watkinsville, GA
A Vision of Grasslands in the Southeast, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC
2009
A Pleasant Territory: Grasslands in the Southeast, Circle Gallery, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA
2007
New Landscapes, Aurum Studios, Athens, GA
2005
Southern Landscapes, Carolina Galleries, Charleston, SC
2004
Forged by Drought, Flood, and Fire: Scenes of Remnant Landscapes, Circle Gallery, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA
1993
Bean Soup, Pomodoro, Boston, MA
Group Exhibits
2019
Southern Nature Writers Gathering, Wormsloe, Isle of Hope, GA
2018
Paintings of Chingaza at the Colombian Embassy, Washington, DC
2016
Longleaf Regenerated, Savannah Riverfront Marriot, Savannah, GA
2015
"Set Off For Georgia:" Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of John and William Bartram's Natural History Expedition in Colonial Georgia. Richard B. Russell Building (Special Collections Library), University of Georgia, Athens, GA
2014
Terrain: Painting the South, The Classic Center, Athens, GA
Out of the Vault, Athens Chamber of Commerce, Athens, GA
2013
The Contemporary Southern Landscape, Jepson Center, Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA
2010
An Evening on Naturalist William Bartram, Oconee Cultural Art Foundation, Watkinsville GA
Spirit of the Land V, invitational exhibit, State Botanical Garden, Athens, GA
2008
Italia, group exhibit, Carteret Contemporary Art, Morehead City, NC
Spirit of the Land III, invitational exhibit, State Botanical Garden, Athens, GA
2007
Coastal Landscapes, Two Person Exhibit, Carolina Galleries, Charleston, SC
Spirit of the Land II, invitational exhibit, State Botanical Garden, Athens, GA
2006
At the Water's Edge, group exhibit, Carolina Galleries, Charleston, SC
Spirit of the Land, invitational exhibit, State Botanical Garden, Athens, GA
Group exhibition, Aurum Studios, Athens, GA
Perspectives of Travel, two-person exhibit, UGA Alumni Center, Atlanta, GA
2005
Matters of Perspective, two-person exhibit, Aurum Studios, Athens, GA
Places-Nonplaces, two-person exhibit, Circle Gallery, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Skinnydipping, group exhibit, Mercury Gallery, Athens, GA
Thirtieth Annual Juried Exhibition, Lyndon House Arts Center, Athens, GA
2002
Exploration and Discovery: Field Studies, group exhibit, Circle Gallery, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Topophilia II, invitational exhibit, Clayton Street Gallery, Athens, GA
2001
Hoochie on the Coochie, Atlanta, GA
2000
Isolalunga to Holzhausen, two-person exhibit, Joanna Angell Gallery, Walterboro, SC
1997
Twenty-second Annual Juried Exhibition, Lyndon House Arts Center, Athens, GA
1995
SED First Annual Juried Student Exhibition, Circle Gallery, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA
1994
Travelers' Landscapes, two-person exhibit, Dover Public Library, Dover, MA
1990
Honors Thesis Exhibition, group exhibit, Visual Arts Gallery, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA
1988
Mostra, juried exhibit of work by participants in the University of Georgia Studies Abroad program, Cortona, Italy
Selected Talks
2021
"Picturing the Prairie, A Vision of Restoration", Virtual presentation and discussion with Wendy Paulson. Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA
2020
"Picturing the Prairie", Keynote presentation. Citizens for Conservation. Barrington, Illinois
"The Art of Conservation", artist lecture, College of Environment and Design, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
2018
"Falling in Love with Southeastern Grasslands, Paintings from Prairie to Páramo" Fuqua Lecture, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, GA
"Falling in Love with Southeastern Grasslands, Paintings from Prairie to Páramo", Plenary Speaker, Cullowhee Conference on Native Plants, Cullowhee, NC
2017
"Prairie to Páramo: A Landscape Painter Falls in Love with the Forgotten Grasslands of the Southeast and Beyond", keynote speaker, Southeastern Grasslands Initiative summit, Clarksville, TN
2016
"Framed by Longleaf: An Artist's Perspective," plenary speaker, 11th biennial Longleaf Alliance Conference, Savannah, GA
2015
"Painting Fire Into the Landscape" plenary speaker, Georgia Prescribed Fire Council annual meeting, Tifton, GA
"Rediscovering the Southern Landscape of the 18th Century" and "The Art of William Bartram" Presentations by Philip Juras and Janice Simon. Special Collections Library, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
2014
"Searching for the Southern Frontier: Landscapes Inspired by Bartram’s Travels," Cherokee Garden Library Lecture, Atlanta History Center, Atanta, GA
2013
"Searching for the Southern Frontier: Landscapes Inspired by Bartram's Travels," keynote speaker, St. George Tucker Society annual meeting, Augusta, GA
"Searching for the Southern Frontier: Landscapes Inspired by Bartram's Travels," keynote speaker, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Coastal Program Training, Lafayette, LA
"Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Fires?", 4th Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference, Raleigh, NC
2012
"Envisioning Southern Grasslands with William Bartram", keynote speaker, Southeastern Prairie Symposium, Starkville, MS
"Visions of the Presettlement South", South Carolina Native Plants Symposium, keynote speaker, Clemson, SC
2011
"Searching for William Bartram's Southern Frontier", Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA
"The Sublime Nature of a Dynamic Coast", Coastal Wildscapes, Richmond Hill, GA
"Searching for Bartram's Southern Frontier" Artist lecture, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA
"Searching for the Southern Frontier" Artist lecture sponsored by the city of Savannah, Telfair Museum, Savannah, GA
"Finding Bartram’s Landscapes in the Modern-day South" Conference on William Bartram's Georgia, Savannah, GA
2010
"Forgotten Grasslands: Envisioning the Presettlement Piedmont", The Evelyn McNeill Sims Lecture at the North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC
"Behind the Scenes: A Landscape Painter Drinks Science Kool-aid," cosponsored by the Environmental Ethics Certificate Program and the Department of Geology at The University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
2009
"Portraying the presettlement Southeast through oil paintings of remnant grassland communities," 6th Eastern Native Grass Symposium, Columbia, SC.
Publications
2021
Picturing the Prairie: A Vision of Restoration. Athens, GA: Little Bluestem Press.
2016
The Wild Treasury of Nature: A Portrait of Little St. Simons Island. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.
2011
The Southern Frontier, Landscapes Inspired by Bartram's Travels. Savannah, GA: Telfair Books, distributed by the University of Georgia Press. Winner of the Georgia Author of the Year Award, Specialty Book Category, from the Georgia Writers Association, 2012. Second edition paperback, University of Georgia Press, 2015
2010
"A Glimpse of the Southern Frontier," Bartram's Living Legacy: The Travels and the Nature of the South. Dorinda Dallmeyer, ed. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press.
Education
1997
Master of Landscape Architecture, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA. MLA Thesis: The Presettlement Piedmont Savanna: A Model for Landscape Design and Management
1990
Bachelor of Fine Arts, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA. Major: Drawing and Painting.
1988
University of Georgia Studies Abroad in Cortona, Italy, Drawing and Painting.
Honors
2020
Owens 50: Individuals honored for shaping the UGA College of Environment and Design throughout its history.
2017
One Hundred Miles 100: Individuals and Businesses Making a Difference for Georgia's Coast
2012
Georgia Author of the Year Award, Specialty Book Category, from the Georgia Writers Association.