Clyde Butcher’s ‘Lifeworks in Photography’ exhibiting at Bishop Science

Clyde Butcher has been referred to as “The Ansel Adams of Florida.” But there’s received to be a greater solution to describe how faithfully and magnificently he has captured the pure fantastic thing about the state for thus a few years.

Butcher curated a brand new exhibition at The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Bradenton that opened on Dec. 12. It’s referred to as “Lifeworks in Photography.”

Andrew Sandall is the CEO of the Bishop and mentioned this exhibit covers his work as he will get into the later levels of his profession.

“Now, this is one where it’s kind of his highlights, his personal highlights, whether it’s the stories behind them or whether it’s just he thinks they’re stunning photographs, so they’re (Clyde and his wife, Niki) very involved in all of this,” Sandall mentioned.

Butcher is scheduled to talk on the Bishop in early January, and Sandall is fast to reward his work — calling him one of many “greatest documentarians of the natural world.”

“A lot of people compare him to Ansel Adams, the great nature photographer, and Clyde Butcher, is kind of working in formats that most people today don’t work in. But seeing his photography, particularly his Florida photography, gives you a chance to see nature in a way that I think it will be stunning to a lot of people who’ve only ever seen digital photographs or have never seen someone use format old, classic photography techniques,” Sandall mentioned.

At least considered one of his cameras is over 100 years previous.

Butcher advised WUSF years in the past that he was visiting the previous roadside attraction, “Tom Gaskins Cypress Knee Museum” off U.S. 27, when he went out again and determined Florida’s surroundings was value preserving in pictures.

Since then, he’s captured photographs in Cuba and Spain, round the place Salvador Dali grew up and different locations. But he’s in all probability greatest recognized for locating wild locations that doc in pictures why these elements of Florida should be preserved.

Sandall is initially from England. But he has lived and labored in Florida since 2008.

“There’s very few things you can bring in that’s more popular with Floridians than Clyde Butcher. I mean, he is a national treasure of Florida, so I’ve seen his work all over the place, been to a lot of his exhibits. And this is kind of a shift we’re trying to do at the museum of having, particularly during snowbird season, having an exhibit where people who are just in the area temporarily, or have got family coming in, we can bring them in to see exhibits that really show off where they’re living,” he mentioned.

Sandall mentioned this exhibition will present the very best of Florida and its pictures.

The Bishop is understood for its planetarium reveals and pure historical past. But Sandall mentioned they’ve been altering issues up since he began in 2023.

“We’ve totally rebuilt all the education program we do here, restructured a lot of that department, doing a lot of work in the planetarium, where the programming has become a lot more family-focused, but also a lot more that we’re writing this unique programming, so it’s interesting for people who live locally can come back and see it regularly,” he mentioned.

The museum can also be recognized for serving to to rehabilitate younger manatees who’ve been injured within the wild. Sandall mentioned the manatees there now will possible be launched again into the wild in January or February.