Glacier Art Museum opens new exhibits highlighting nature, featuring paintings by Carl Brenders and photographs by Danny On

Two new art exhibits, October: Close Encounters: Wildlife Paintings by Carl Brenders and The Lens and Legacy of Danny On: Photographer, Smokejumper and Silviculturist, open at the Glacier Art Museum Oct. 10.  

Both exhibitions feature works from the museum’s collection and are on display through March 14, 2026. A preview reception is planned from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 9. The cost to attend is $5 for people who are not museum members.  

Close Encounters features nine large-scale works by Brenders, a world-renowned Belgian painter artist, naturalist and conservationist. From wolfpacks to peacocks, Brenders meticulously captures wildlife with photorealistic accuracy through firsthand observations. Donated to the museum by the Shaw Family Trust in 2024, the exhibit marks the first time the paintings will be on view to the public. 

“Visitors of all ages will truly be astounded by the beauty of these paintings. Brenders is a masterful painter — every strand of fur and blade of grass is a meditative wonder," museum Executive Director Alyssa Cordova said in a press release. “They will inspire and remind us to preserve and care for our planet and our region’s wildlife and their habitats.” 

The Lens and Legacy of Danny On exhibit will feature 30 large-frame color slide photographs of Glacier National Park by Danny On (1924-1979). Many people in the valley may recognize the name from the Danny On Memorial Trail on Big Mountain, but what people may not know is that he was a published nature photographer, a U.S. Forest Service silviculturist, a 101st Airborne Division paratrooper during World War II and was the first Asian American smokejumper. 

Some of the stunning photographs that will be displayed also appear in the 1980 book, "Along the Trail: A photographic Essay of Glacier National Park and the Northern Rocky Mountains." 

General admission for the museum is $8 for nonmembers, $6 for seniors and veterans, $4 for students and active military. Museum members and children under 18 are free. 

The art museum is located at 302, Second Ave. E., Kalispell. For more information, visit glacierartmuseum.org. 

    Danny On, Red Rock Canyon (Waterton Lakes National Park)