arts & entertainment

Multimedia artist James Prosek returns to the Vero Beach Museum of Art (VBMA) in an exhibition that celebrates the major projects that have shaped his first three decades of practice through more than 70 artworks–in a diverse body of work made since the early 2000s.

Based in Easton, Connecticut, Prosek (b. 1975) carries forward the New England tradition of the artist-naturalist, in dialogue with figures such as John James Audubon and Charles Burchfield, while reconsidering how we observe and classify the natural world. His approach also engages the documentary impulses of naturalists like Carl Linnaeus and Charles Darwin, who sought to bring order to nature’s complexity. 

This survey highlights the range of his practice, from on-site field studies to studio-based painting, watercolor, and sculpture. “I had followed Prosek’s work for years, particularly because of the way his practice bridges art, natural history, environmental observation, and our emotional relationship to the natural world,” explains Caitlin Swindell, chief curator of the Vero Beach Museum of Art. “Prosek has long been one of the artists I hoped to work with in some capacity.”

An avid fisherman, accomplished taxidermist, and prolific author, Prosek works closely with subjects from across the globe, combining scientific attentiveness with artistic imagination to explore how humans interpret and shape the natural world. He depicts his subjects with striking realism—from plein air studies of birds in Suriname to Atlantic fish, migratory species, and plant life throughout the United States. At times, he transforms animals into hybrid forms that blend careful observation with subtle reinvention, questioning systems of classification. 

Together, these pieces demonstrate both the diversity of Prosek’s subject matter and the many ways he approaches his practice, combining careful observation with imagination and a deep respect for the interconnectedness of the natural world.

This is Prosek’s second show at the Vero Beach Museum of Art. More than a decade ago, in 2015, the Museum presented selections from his celebrated Ocean Fishes series, including highly detailed paintings on paper depicting species such as the Atlantic Bonito and King Mackarel.

“Given the importance of the environment to our Indian River community, and our proximity to one of our country’s most vital ecosystems, the exhibition is especially resonant as a summer show,” concludes Swindell.

The exhibition will be broken up into four thematic sections that will show the breadth and diversity of James Prosek’s work in nature:

• Field Study to Studio Method: James Prosek works across field, institutional, and studio practices to explore how nature is observed and classified. He conducts independent expeditions and participates in university- and museum-supported projects, where scientific and artistic aims intersect. His studio practice includes detailed painting and drawing based on firsthand observation, photographs, and studies of specific animals, which also inform his extensive writing on the natural world.
• Plants and Grasses: This section focuses on plant life, a subject that has appeared throughout Prosek’s career, from cacti and tropical flowers to wildflowers. His particular focus on grasses began in 2021, when he traveled to the Texas Hill Country to study endangered prairie habitats. That experience led to a larger body of work centered on plant ecosystems.
• Suriname: In 2010, James Prosek participated in a scientific collecting expedition organized by the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. The team traveled to a remote, largely unexplored remote region in central Suriname, a former Dutch colony in South America. Many of the depicted specimens created from this trip appear subtly altered—elongated or distorted—challenging the idea of nature as fixed and stable.
• Hybrids: Prosek’s hybrids reference both historical and speculative forms, ranging from reconstructed creatures recalling early natural history to imagined species shaped by contemporary ecological concerns.  

James Prosek: At Work was organized by the Morris Museum, Morristown, New Jersey, and features new interpretive texts authored by the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Support of this exhibit is provided by Barry and Jennifer Jaruzelski and the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation.

James Prosek: At Work is generously supported by:

PRESENTING SPONSORS: 

The Yela “Peter” and Derek Fowler Endowment for Acquisitions and Exhibitions

Patricia M. Patten Endowment

Estate of Glee and Robert Ries Endowment

EXHIBITION SPONSORS: 

George P. Armstrong Endowment Fund 

Friends of the VBMA Endowment

The VBMA Endowment