Exhibitions
The Palmer Museum of Art presents new and changing special exhibitions and related programming every year. See below to explore what’s on view, what’s coming up, or what past exhibitions have been at the museum.
Exhibition Status: Past
Sections
Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld is broken into five overall sections for visitors to explore.
Into the Wilds
This section features works that bring to mind historical and modern excursions while also parodying the traditional stories and players of well-known naturalists in the “explorer genre,” who were often flawed figures.
Natural Histories
The art in this section moves beyond depictions of flora and fauna to the artists’ focus on probing evolutionary and biogeographical history and the natural histories humans have built around them.
In Deep Waters
This section dives into beleaguered aquatic environments and how each artists appreciates and examines our relationship with water.
Time Travels
Artworks in this section often feature reexamination of extinct species and distant time periods or transport visitors into future worlds where the effects of our current human choices are unveiled.
American Landscape
The single work in this section is a culmination of Dion and Rockman’s work together, highlighting a sculptural diorama that is a collaboration between the two artists.
Related Programs
See below for a list of programs related to special exhibition Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature's Underworld.
Please see our Programs page for specific information about each program.
Thursday, September 4 | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Creative Studio at the Palmer: Sustainable Art Journals
Thursday, September 11 | 6 p.m.
Artist Lecture: Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman
Registration is full. CLICK HERE to sign up for the waitlist.
Sunday, September 14 | 3 p.m.
Drop-in Tour: America’s Changing Environments: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Monday, August 25 through Thursday, September 25
Tracking Trash: A Community Collection
CLICK HERE to submit to the Trash Tracker!
Thursday, September 25 | Free, drop-in, 5 to 8 p.m.
Art After Hours: Journey to Nature’s Underworld
Thursday, September 25 | 6 p.m.
Gallery Talk: Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld
Friday, September 26 | 2 p.m.
Drop-in Tour: Through the Guide’s Eye – Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld
Thursday, October 16 | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Creative Studio at the Palmer: Collage Fodder for Sustainable Art Journals
Saturday, October 18 | Noon to 4 p.m.
Community Day: Journey to Nature’s Underworld
Sunday, October 19 | 2 p.m.
Drop-in Tour: PSU Family Weekend: Visions of a Changing Planet
Thursday, October 23 | 5:30 p.m.
Gallery Talk: Journey to Nature’s Underworld
Thursday, November 6 | 6 p.m.
Garden and Gallery Book Conversation
Free with registration required. Prior reading of Robert Macfarlane’s Underland expected. CLICK HERE to register.
Friday, November 7 | 2 p.m.
Drop-in Tour: From Farm to Table
Thursday, November 13 | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Creative Studio at the Palmer: Scrap it Up! for Sustainable Art Journals
Friday, November 14 | Noon
Gallery Talk – Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld
Thursday, November 20 | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
DIRTy Date Night with the Arboretum
$45 per couple; 10 couples max
Sunday, November 23 | 2 p.m.
Drop-in Tour: The Price of Progress
Sunday, December 7 | 2 p.m.
Drop-in Tour: Art, Exploration, and the Stories We Collect
Exhibition-Related Online Resources
Educator Resource Guide
This guide contains exhibition and section summaries, selected images, discussion guides, and additional online resources to support K–12 educators in introducing students.Access the Guide
Reading Connections
Explore exhibition themes through related literature that explores the relationship between humans and the global environment. Selections are available for all reading levels, from picture books for preschoolers to potential book club reads for adults. Click below for a full list of related books, along with brief descriptions and discussion guides.View the Reading List
Music Playlist
Connect to exhibition themes through music with this playlist celebrating a love of nature and a concern for environmental crisis.Listen to the Playlist
The Triumph of Nature Educator Resource Guide
This guide accompanies the special exhibition The Triumph of Nature: Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art, on view at the Palmer February 15–May 11, 2025. It contains standards-based lesson plans, recommended resources, and field trip planning tips to support K-12 educators in introducing Art Nouveau to students.
The Triumph of Nature Educator Resource Guide
