Illustrating Nature Returns to the PG Museum on May 1

PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (March 18. 2026) — A long-standing partnership between CSU Monterey Bay and the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History continues May 1 with the 16th Annual Illustrating Nature Exhibition. Showcasing the talented work of graduates of CSUMB’s Science Illustration Program, Illustrating Nature is a tour de force in the ways scientific illustration and art take form. Thanks to the Arts Council for Monterey County and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, the show will be bigger than ever, featuring an expanded display reaching across both floors of the Museum. This year will also see the return of audience favorites, including the artist’s field journals on display. “Illustrating Nature is our most popular annual exhibit,” says Maya Sosa, the Museum’s Exhibitions Coordinator. “The art these graduates create showcases their talent and creativity and reminds us of the many ways beauty can be found in nature.”

The show will run from May 1 through June 7th, with a special free opening reception at the Museum on Friday, May 1, from 6-8pm. The reception will feature the opportunity to meet the artists and their instructors and explore the artwork in its expanded spaces. “As with recent years, our upcoming exhibit continues to highlight newer applications of Science Illustration, including infographics and comics in addition to paintings and illustrations guests are used to seeing,” says Reid Psaltis, head of the Science Illustration Program and former graduate. “Our current group of students has worked hard to find ways of communicating the scientific subjects they’re passionate about.”

Guests at the opening reception excited to discuss the art with the artists will have the opportunity to receive a sticker of their work. Visitors interested in more will also have plenty of opportunities to purchase, learn about, and create their own art over the course of the exhibition run with a variety of events including artist demonstrations from current students on 5/16 and 5/30, classes with the Museum taught by program graduates for all skill levels, and a special artist market on May 22 where visitors can purchase art prints, stickers, originals, and more from participating graduates. “The artist market is so much fun,” says Noelle Fletcher, the Museum’s Marketing & Events Manager. “The students have been working all year on incredible works, and we only get to see a subset in the show, but the market gives an opportunity to see much more and support them as they move into this next career chapter.”

Illustrating Nature will run May 1 through June 7 at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. Get a sneak peek after April 10th at www.pgmuseum.org and sign up for events at www.pgmuseum.org/events. The talent will continue in June with a new exhibit in the Museum's popular Beyond Illustrating Nature space by program graduate Amy Koehler, also funded by the Arts Council for Monterey County and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors.