Quincy Art Center to be host of stunning wildlife photography exhibit beginning Friday

QUINCY — The Quincy Art Center will present “Thomas D. Mangelsen: A Life in the Wild,” an exhibition showcasing 31 of Mangelsen’s most iconic and resonant wildlife images, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, March 14 through May 31, offering visitors a breathtaking journey into the world of some of nature’s most awe-inspiring creatures. Admission to the exhibit is free.

An opening reception for the exhibit will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, March 14, where guests can enjoy an evening celebrating the beauty of the natural world through Mangelsen’s masterful lens. Elizabeth Swick, director of exhibitions at Quincy Art Center, will give a talk at 7:30 p.m. offering insight into the significance of Mangelsen’s work and his impact on the field of wildlife photography.

Attendees will have the exclusive opportunity to enter a drawing to win one of 10 spots in a photographing wildlife workshop with local wildlife photographer Timothy Spencer at Lynn Deer Park in the Illinois Veterans Home, 1707 N. 12th, from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 12. (Rain-out date: April 26.)

Participants will learn essential techniques in composition, camera functions and working with natural light, all while engaging with fellow photography enthusiasts. This workshop can be taken using a phone camera.

This exhibition is made possible by the support of the following sponsors:

• Knapheide
• State Street Bank
• Quincy Recycle
• Quincy Medical Group
• Blessing Health System
• Mercantile
• Bank, Lee Lindsay
• Signe Oakley
• Steve & Judy Siebers
• Doris Malacarne
• Jim, Ann, & Avery Titus
• Alan Knepler
• Bo & Erin Knapheide
• Alan & Mary Ellen Stiegemeier

“A Life in the Wild” is a celebration of patience, dedication and an understanding of wildlife behavior. Mangelsen’s work is a counterpoint to the growing trend of manipulated and staged wildlife photography. His images, taken entirely in the wild under natural conditions, are a testament to his decades of perseverance, often waiting in extreme conditions for the perfect moment to capture his subjects.

This exhibition features many award-winning images from all seven continents, including Polar Dance, a whimsical portrait of polar bears in the Arctic, and Catch of the Day, one of the most widely recognized wildlife photographs in history. The latter, capturing the precise moment a salmon leaps into the jaws of a brown bear at Brooks River, Alaska, was achieved long before the advent of digital photography and remains an unparalleled achievement in the field.

Curated by David J. Wagner, LLC, with prospectus text by Todd Wilkinson, author of “Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek,” this exhibition is not only a showcase of visual artistry but also an invitation to reflect on the fragility of the natural world and the importance of conservation.

For more information, visit www.quincyartcenter.org or call 217-223-5900.