Make plans to visit the Tampa Bay History Center on Tampa's waterfront Riverwalk in the Channelside District for an exhibition by acclaimed photographer Clyde Butcher who's renowned photos highlight Florida’s natural beauty in a special way. It's never difficult to find fun and interesting things to do in Tampa, but every now and then a distinctly unique opportunity arises, like the History Center hosting Clyde Butcher’s “Eden" exhibit. This folks is a gift! Grab the hubby, your significant other, the kiddos and your friends and make plans to go!
Photo courtesy of the History Museum
“Wilderness, to me, is a spiritual necessity,” says this legendary photographer. With a career spanning nearly 50 years, Butcher’s work celebrates our beloved natural environment, from the mountains of the American West to the swamps of South Florida.
Preserving Eden: The Florida Photographs of Clyde Butcher, on exhibit now through Jan. 8 at the Tampa Bay History Center, offers a retrospective of Butcher’s work in Florida, from Cayo Costa State Park to Big Cypress National Preserve and beyond.
Preserving Eden explores the breadth of Florida’s brilliant landscapes, from wetlands to dunes, coastal hammocks to inland swamps, he covers it all for us with an extraordinary talent and keen eye. The THistory Center exhibit depicts Florida’s bountiful natural beauty and geographic diversity while highlighting Florida's unique natural history. Butcher’s powerful photos draw us into the depths of Florida’s River of Grass and transport us to the serenity of the Sunshine State’s tropical waterways.
Photo courtesy of the History Museum
Preserving Eden also highlights Florida’s indigenous flora and fauna and spotlights the state’s early naturalists such as Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
Since the early 1980s, this award-winning landscape photographer has photographed Florida’s Everglades. After nearly 50 years of photographing the natural landscapes of North America, Butcher continues to employ traditional “analog” photography methods, using a variety of vintage large-format view cameras and a custom-built darkroom to produce his mesmerizing images.
Butcher’s landscapes draw us in, encouraging us to appreciate the natural beauty of our surroundings. “My hope is to educate,” says Butcher, “to let people know our land is a special place, and to inspire others to work together to save nature's places of spiritual sanctuary for future generations.”
Preserving Eden opened Saturday, Sept. 3 and runs through Sunday, Jan. 8th. The Tampa Bay History Center offers three floors of permanent and temporary exhibition space focusing on 12,000 years of Florida history.
The History Center features a Museum Store, the Witt Research Center (a branch of the Hillsborough County Public Library System), a map gallery, an event hall and the Columbia Cafe. One of Tampa’s premier cultural venues, the History Center’s hands-on, cutting-edge interactive exhibits and programs offer a fun, educational experience for all ages. A unique and enriching experience that never gets old, the museum is one of my family's favorite places to go.
My husband and I will plan a date night around Eden, familiar with Clyde's legacy to Floridians, we look forward to what will surely be an exceptional experience!
