AIRIE Nest Gallery
The AIRIE Nest Gallery opened at the end of 2016, during the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary year. For the first time, the public had a permanent space to engage with the multidisciplinary artwork focused on preserving and admiring the Everglades created by artists experiencing the wonder of the area first-hand. Their multidisciplinary and contemplative exhibitions, performances, and creative projects will be available to admire, free of charge, during the Coe Visitor Center’s open hours 365 days a year. Read about our current and past exhibitions below.
There are many ways to get involved in the AIRIE Gallery mission and vision! Visit the gallery at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor’s Center at the Everglades National Park, 40001 State Highway 9336 in Homestead, open daily from 9 am - 5 pm. Keep an eye on our events and openings where you can come to meet our artists and team. Make a tax-deductible donation or become a gallery sponsor to further support our artists with a generous contribution.
Current Exhibition
Contours of the Everglades
Curated by AIRIE Artistic Director Cornelius Tulloch, this gallery exhibition of physical works brings together the work of AIRIE Fellows across multiple years of residency. By showcasing strictly black & white images, the selected body of work highlights the textures of the Everglades and how even when devoid of color, there is so much to experience in the landscape. Through exploration and interpretation, artists have revealed the beautiful complexities which lie within the contours of the Everglades. Join us on February 17th for the gallery opening. Image courtesy of Rachel Gray.
Past Exhibitions
Queen of the Swamp:
Party as Protest
Sydney Maubert’s Queen of the Swamp: Party as Protest, acknowledges Miami’s Bahamian history and its vital ties to the cultural geography of Caribbean and Southern aesthetics. The installation draws upon Miami's history of Bahamian laborers' construction of Miami's infrastructure on porous rock and their present descendants' influence on Miami Bass culture, a genre of musical impropriety rooted in Miami’s Bahamian neighborhoods.
Image courtesy of Passion Ward.
Passages at the Nest
This exhibition was curated by Artistic Director and Fellow, Cornelius Tulloch. The exhibition reveals connections that our 2022 AIRIE fellows found or created in the Everglades and celebrates stories of this natural landscape. Through these passages, artists have created a sense of purpose, place, and lineage. In addition to Tulloch, participating artists include Arsimmer McCoy, Francisco Masó, Kunya Rowley, Lola Flash, M. Carmen Lane, and Ania Freer. Presented by Build McKenzie and in sponsorship with Friends of the Everglades. Image courtesy of Steven Brooke.
AIRIE’s 20th Anniversary
In celebration of 20 years of AIRIE’s existence and partnership with Everglades National Park, this exhibition featured a survey of artworks created by AIRIE artists inspired by their time in Everglades National Park. Image courtesy of AIRIE.
AIRIE Art Week
Every year AIRIE alongside Art Basel Miami in December, AIRIE throws its own Art Week bash which in the past has included artist talks, exhibits, Fellow exhibitions, and more! Check out our past AIRIE Art Week events below and see you in December! Photo by Angel Valentin.
AIRIE Nest Gallery is located at:
Ernest F. Coe Visitors Center
Everglades National Park
Open daily, 9 am - 5 pm
Free admission
A reflection on art, science, and the National Park Service
with Ted Firkens, Park Ranger
“It is my belief that the greatest developments in human history fit into the two categories of science and art. Both these two seemingly different and separate things overlap and mix together. Art has always been one of the great tools available to express the values found in our National Park Service areas. A work of art can offer the viewer a chance to experience a place that they may not have the opportunity to visit. Science and art are mirror images of each other. They are the expressions of our knowledge and understanding, our ingenuity and curiosity.
The Everglades National Park collection of art that has resulted from AIRIE residencies is a national treasure owned by the American people. It contains donated works from a diverse array of visiting artists from all disciplines and genres, such as the visual art you see in this exhibition, to choreography, music, and sculpture. It is my hope that viewing this exhibit will enhance visitors’ experience and appreciation of Everglades National Park.”
Ted Firkins worked closely with AIRIE for years as the administrator for the residency program on behalf of Everglades National Park and overseer of the collection of artworks donated by AIRIE Fellows. We are grateful for Ted’s service to the AIRIE program.
Banner image credit: Passion Ward