Yosemite People, an online exhibition

Above image by Jonas Kulikauskas
Curry Village Amphitheater, July 2014

The complex and nuanced relationships between people and Yosemite’s natural wonders come to life in this new online exhibition from Exhibit Envoy. The show features photographs from award-winning artist Jonas Kulikauskas, who brings his street photography sensibilities to the wilderness. His sharp eye reveals crowds clamoring to take the perfect selfie with Half Dome in the background and families cooling off in Tenaya Creek, while servers prep for diners at the Ahwahnee Hotel and rangers patrol the expansive Park.

Exhibition Dates: Monday, February 1 to Sunday, April 11, 2021
Grace Hudson Museum members had exclusive access to preview the show from January 18 to 31, 2021.


Exhibition Programs:

Thursday, March 4, 12:00 to 1:00 PM
Jonas Kulikauskas on Yosemite People
Virtual Program
Photographer Jonas Kulikauskas, the creator of Yosemite People, discusses what inspired him to take on this exhibition and book project, the people and scenery he encountered, and also share many images that do not appear in the online show. Kulikauskas is an an award-winning artist and photographer, and is on the faculty of ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Yosemite People was originally exhibited last year at the California Museum in Sacramento. The book took 1st place in the People category at the prestigious International Photography Awards in 2017, and in 2019, 33 images from Yosemite People were accessioned into the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Click here for a feature article from the March 1, 2021 Ukiah Daily Journal.

Thursday, March 25, 6:00 to 7:30 PM
Carleton Watkins, Picturing Yosemite
Virtual Program

Tyler Green, author of the award-winning 2018 book Carleton Watkins: Making the West American, presents an illustrated talk on Carleton Watkins, widely known as the greatest American photographer of the 19th century. Watkins’s images of Yosemite in the 1860s became nationwide sensations and led to federal protection of Yosemite and ultimately its establishment as a National Park. Since 2011, Green has produced and hosted the "The Modern Art Notes Podcast," interviewing a wide range of influential artists, curators, and historians. His book on Watkins further established Green as an important emerging voice in art history, exploring the ways artists have impacted our sense of national identity and advanced conversations in social and political arenas. Click here for a feature article from the
March 24, 2021 Ukiah Daily Journal.

Thursday, April 7, 12:00 to 1:00 PM
Ranger Ben and the Bears of Yosemite
Virtual Program
Ben Cunningham-Summerfield, an Interpretive Ranger at Yosemite National Park, talks about bears, their habitat, behavior, life cycle, myths, spiritual attributes, and what happens when humans insert themselves by the thousands into their world. Ranger Ben, as he is known to Park visitors, is featured in the online exhibition, Yosemite People, and in the accompanying book of the same name. Ranger Ben is Mountain Maidu and also serves as an Indian Cultural Demonstrator at Yosemite.