Local Art Exhibitions

Local Art Exhibits

Enjoy art inspired by both nature and the human experience of life in the world at The Green Center. Exhibits are free and open to the public throughout the year. Portions of proceeds of art exhibit sales support The Green Center's youth arts and restoration programs.

Contact us if you have nature-inspired artwork that you would like to be considered for a future exhibit in 2026. We're currently booked through 2025.

Current EXHIBITs

April 30 - June 12
Birds of U City by Josh Hedlund

Artist's Bio

Josh Hedlund
I am a University City resident and avid birder. I got into birdwatching in 2023. Once I started learning the names of our local birds, I was astonished to realize how many interesting and remarkable creatures could be seen right in our very own parks and neighborhoods. All I had to do was look up!

All of the photos in this "Birds of U City" exhibit were taken right here in this University City neighborhood. Some of these birds are here year-round; some are only here for summer and others only for winter; some stop by for brief pit stops on their long migrations; still others are rare and special unexpected visitors. I've seen over 100 different bird species in Ruth Woods, and 70 in Kaufman Park. (The wonderful volunteers here at The Green Center help maintain both of these nature spaces!)

So take a walk with a pair of binoculars, or put some suet or black oil sunflower seeds in a feeder in your yard, and with a little patience and persistence, you could find all these birds, too, and many more besides!

To see more of my bird photos you can follow me on Instagram at @hedlund.joshua - for questions, comments, or feedback, feel free to email me at [email protected].

and

April 30 - June 12
Dormant Forms by Josiah McElmurry

Artist's Bio

Josiah McElmurry
Josiah McElmurry is a visual artist, musician, and land conservationist based in St. Louis, Missouri, currently wrapping up a Certificate of Proficiency in Horticulture at STLCC-Meramec. After working as a tour guide at a botanical garden in Juneau, Alaska, he decided to study geography and sustainability at the University of Missouri, which led to years of exploring different options in the green industry. He is now a crew member for Missouri Native Stewardship Services, and volunteers as a land steward for McDonnell Park.

Artist's Statement

There is no physical place that I have found more joy and solace in year round than the vast and often vacant prairie systems that exist near me. My goal for this project was to capture and elaborate on the stories held in the sustained winter structures of native prairie plants, offering a way these landscapes can be viewed in their months of quiet dormancy.

Over the years as a photographer, I have been driven primarily by two aims: the careful alignment of inanimate objects and the intentional singling out of living subjects. I experienced this project as a synthesis of these two approaches. By collecting samples out in the field and bringing them home, I had the ability to control the position of the plant with respect to the sunlight, as well as the background shadows I created with household objects. I wanted the shadows to draw another dimension of meaning out of the plant, to delicately hold its shape, and to exist as a balanced, abstract form on its own, much like the plant itself.