In this age of superior environmental awareness, when mass media and virtual reality are ostensibly supposed to make us smarter in our knowledge of the natural world, consider this paradox: One of the most famous and widely-circulated wildlife photographs ever made is an image that most members of the Millennial generation probably assume is a product of digital manipulation…
Exhibitions
Traveling Museum Exhibition
Produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C.
A retrospective of Legacy Reserve images from over 40 years of nature and wildlife photography capturing Earth’s last great wild places.
A LIFE IN THE WILD exhibition makes its final stop at the Stuhr Museum after an extraordinary eight-year national museum tour.
Featuring 40 of Mangelsen’s most resonant images—images that take viewers on a journey into the haunts of iconic species whose struggles for survival are metaphorical fulcrums for reflection in the 21st century.
Every single image in Mangelsen’s portfolio has been taken in the wild under natural conditions; the result of him waiting for the “picture perfect moment” across decades and often in hostile conditions. Such a body of work can only be achieved by having a heightened sense of animal behavior, an uncanny feel for being able to read changing atmospherics in the environment, and patience.
At a time when digital technology is, notoriously, reprogramming its users to have shorter attention spans, A LIFE IN THE WILD stands as a testament to the rewards that can come to people who slow down their lives and wait for nature’s revelations to happen.
“The diversity of life on this planet is a miraculous gift. What gives me the greatest joy is being able to share glimpses of it. I hope my work stands as a testament to the power of timeless beauty and as a reminder that we must not take our fellow wild creatures for granted.”
FINAL STOP: TOUR ITINERARY
June 20 – September 7, 2026
The Stuhr Museum, 3133 W. U.S. Hwy 34, Grand Island, NE
stuhrmuseum.org
A SAMPLING OF PAST TOUR VENUES
Bateman Foundation Gallery, Victoria, BC Canada
Briscoe Western Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, WY
Great Valley Museum, Modesto, CA
Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, Oradell, NJ
Museum of Art - DeLand, DeLand, FL
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, Dubuque, IA
North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville, NC
The Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix, AZ
Quincy Art Center, Quincy, IL
Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Jamestown, NY
Sioux City Public Museum, Sioux City, IA
To schedule A LIFE IN THE WILD, or further information, contact:
David J. Wagner, Ph.D., Curator/Tour Director
(414) 221-6878 | davidjwagnerllc@yahoo.com | davidjwagnerllc.com
2018 © David J. Wagner, L.L.C.
Member American Alliance of Museums and International Council of Museums
When Virtual Reality is No Match for A True Life in the Wild
by Author, Todd Wilkinson
Published by Stanford University’s Millennium Alliance for Humanity and Biosphere
