Members Opening — The Art of Charley Harper: Creatures Wild and Tame

Sunday, October 25, 2026 from 1:00 PM

Free. Registration not required.
Members only.

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The Art of Charley Harper: Creatures Wild and Tame takes an in-depth look at the work of the beloved mid-century modern artist, designer, illustrator, and nature advocate. Harper’s “minimal realism,” as he called his style, is deceptively simple, reducing nature to essential characteristics in elegant, witty, vividly colored imagery that breathes with life and personality. Deeply committed to wildlife conservation, Harper created dozens of now-iconic posters for the National Park Service and nature organizations. Featuring more than 140 of the artist’s drawings, gouaches, collages, screen prints, paintings, and posters, Creatures Wild and Tame and its accompanying catalog (published by D Giles Ltd) reveal the backstories behind Harper’s celebrated work.

This exhibition is organized by the Cincinnati Art Museum in partnership with the Charley Harper Art Studio.

Beginning at 1 p.m., enjoy snacks and a cash bar in the Marek Family Commons. We recommend parking in our lower lot and entering through either the Perry Education entrance or DeWitt entrance. When you arrive, please have your ticket ready and check in with us outside the Marek Family Commons. 

The reception will be followed by CAM Presents: The Art, Lives, and Legacies of Charley and Edie Harper in the Fath Auditorium at 2 p.m.

Join us for a panel discussion to celebrate the opening of the exhibition The Art of Charley Harper: Creatures Wild and Tame, featuring Brett Harper, son of Charley and Edie Harper, Thane Maynard of the Cincinnati Zoo, Tamera Muente of the Taft Museum of Art, and Julie Aronson of the Cincinnati Art Museum.

If you need accessibility accommodations, please contact us in advance at [email protected] or fill out the accessibility request form.