The Ferguson Art Gallery at Concordia University Chicago is pleased to announce “Lichens, Tiny Science and Other Paintings from the Field Museum,” by Peggy Macnamara. The exhibit is free and open to the public from March 18 to May 4. A reception with the artist will be held in the gallery Sunday, April 21 from 2-4 p.m., with an artist talk at 3 p.m.

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Detail of lichen watercolor painting by Peggy Macnamara

Peggy Macnamara has served as the artist-in-residence at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History since 1990 and as an adjunct professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago since 2001. Blending art with science, Macnamara’s technically exquisite watercolor wildlife paintings embrace the life of lichens, track patterns of bird and insect migrations, and investigate the inhabitants of marine ecosystems. She has traveled with Field Museum scientists all over the world to paint nature and illustrate conservation efforts. She has published five books in collaboration with museum scientists through the University of Chicago Press. In addition, Macnamara has created two children's books (one with Northwestern University Press) and a coloring book. Her most recent book, “From the Seashore to the Seafloor,” was published in June 2022. A large collection of Macnamara's original watercolor paintings are on permanent display at the Field Museum.


“Classical drawing methods, such as mathematical units of measurement that capture precise proportions of nature, are kin to the strategies used by Leonardo da Vinci. Seize the opportunity to observe faint, intersecting pencil lines, layered below Macnamara's paintings to better understand her process of depicting perfectly proportioned paintings of wildlife,” says Nikkole Huss, Ferguson Gallery director and professor of art at Concordia-Chicago. “Peggy is a powerhouse painter. I have been following her work for decades. With great admiration and anticipation, treasures from the Field Museum are brought to life in an exhibition that should not be missed.”


The Ferguson Art Gallery is located in Kretzmann Hall at Concordia University Chicago, 7400 Augusta St., River Forest, IL. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit the Ferguson Art Gallery page or call 708-209-3013.