Orlando's Mennello Museum opens exhibitions of the legendary John James Audubon and Mark Messersmith

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The Mennello Museum of American Art opens two intriguing exhibitions on Friday.

Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America presents work by the legendary wildlife artist John James Audubon. After publishing his iconic Birds of America — "the archetype of wildlife illustration" — in the 1840s, Audubon's second act was to gorgeously render a score of the quadrupeds (any animal that has four legs) of our continent. This exhibition includes 36 hand-printed drawings of wildlife ranging from rabbits to large cats that Audubon created with his son John Woodhouse Audubon, that were then hand-colored by J.T. Bowen.

The second exhibition is Long Summer, a series of landscape paintings by Floridian nature artist Mark Messersmith. Along with his own work, Messersmith has been a professor at Florida State University since 1985, mentoring successive generations of young artists. Messersmith creates story-telling scenes on canvas that portray the beautiful, mysterious, harsh and oft-melancholy sides of Florida's natural beauty.

Both exhibitions run through Sept. 8.

Opens Friday, May 31, Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 E. Princeton St., mennellomuseum.org, free-$5.

Event Details

"Audubon's Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America"

Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. and Sundays, 12 p.m. Continues through Sept. 8

Mennello Museum of American Art 900 E. Princeton St., Orlando Mills 50

Event Details

"Mark Messersmith: Long Summer"

Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. and Sundays, 12 p.m. Continues through Sept. 8

Mennello Museum of American Art 900 E. Princeton St., Orlando Mills 50