Two Parents, One Son, and a Summer of Extraordinary Art: SJIMA's Summer 2026 Exhibitions Open June 11

This summer, the San Juan Islands Museum of Art presents three exceptional exhibitions that together span photography, etching, glass sculpture, and feather sculpture — filling all three galleries with work rooted in the natural and cultural environments of Washington State and beyond.

Convergence & Divergence: The Family Aesthetic

Nichols Gallery — June 11 – September 14, 2026

Two parents. One son. A century of vision.

For the first time, the work of Imogen Cunningham, Roi Partridge, and Rondal Partridge will be shown together in a single exhibition. Convergence & Divergence: The Family Aesthetic explores how artistic vision is passed through generations — how three family members shaped and responded to their times while pursuing their art across remarkably long careers.

Magnolia Blossom, 1925 by Imogen Cunningham

Imogen Cunningham (1883–1976) was a pioneer of American modernist photography and a founding member of Group f/64, the 1930s collective of West Coast photographers. Known for her iconic botanical images and portraits, she captured stunning photographs of Frida Kahlo, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and many others.

Roi Partridge (1888–1984), Imogen's husband, became a renowned etcher who taught at Mills College and never stopped documenting his cherished and vanishing California landscapes.

Rondal Partridge (1917–2015), their son, learned from masters including Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams, and spent eight decades photographing people, nature, and social change.

With nearly 110 years of combined work, the exhibition features masterworks alongside rare pieces — all curated from the artists' personal archives — illuminating how these three artists both collaborated and forged their own paths. Their shared devotion to nature, mastery of light, and commitment to experimentation runs throughout the thematic collections, which include over 100 photographs and prints.

Exhibition highlights include Imogen Cunningham's magnolias and portraits, Roi Partridge's plein-air etchings, and Rondal Partridge's environmental and botanical photography.

Concurrently, documentary films on Imogen Cunningham and Rondal Partridge by Lopez Island resident Meg Partridge — Rondal's daughter — will screen in the museum during the run of the exhibition.

Feathered Masterpieces: The Artistry of Chris Maynard

North Gallery — June 11 – September 14, 2026

Birds have always played a significant role in Chris Maynard's life. Growing up in Washington State, he found peace and solitude in the woods near his home, observing birds from beneath the towering fir and cedar trees. At age twelve, receiving an exotic feather sparked a lifelong passion for transforming feathers into art.

By Chris Maynard

Today, Maynard carves feathers into intricate compositions — cutting them into detailed shapes and arranging the cutouts into scenes that celebrate the life and flight of birds. He keeps the feathers' natural curves and shapes intact by elevating them from the background, and as he describes it, the feathers reciprocate: each piece shifts according to the intensity and angle of the light falling on it, inviting viewers to look and look again.

Feathers from a variety of birds — including turkeys, parrots, and peacocks — are displayed in Maynard's shadow boxes. A conservationist at heart, Maynard sources all feathers legally; many are naturally shed, gathered from farms, aviaries, and zoos.

Maynard's work has been featured in National Geographic, Audubon, Fine Art Connoisseur, Western Art & Architecture, and Southwest Art Magazine, as well as PBS's Craft in America, The Discovery Channel's Daily Planet, the Daily Mail UK, and a TEDx Talk.

Fluid Life: Glass Sculptures Inspired by the Sea

Sterner Atrium Gallery — June 11 – September 14, 2026

Lopez Island-raised glass artist Raven Skyriver began working in glass at sixteen, drawing inspiration from the San Juan Islands natural surroundings that have shaped nearly everything he has made since. His work is almost entirely rooted in the marine ecosystem — from seashells to squid — and through it, he encourages viewers to pay attention to the delicate balance of nature that is so often taken for granted.

By Raven Skyriver

Skyriver's process begins with molten glass, which he shapes to capture the movement and fluidity that define creatures in water. Working in glass also allows him to reflect the transparency and translucency of the marine world. As he puts it, the transformation from molten material to finished piece allows him to capture the sensation of a fish or whale gliding effortlessly through its natural habitat.

Born in 1982, Skyriver was mentored by Lark Dalton in traditional Venetian glassblowing technique, attended Pilchuck Glass School, and continued his training with renowned glass artist Lino Tagliapietra. In 2003 he joined the William Morris team, working alongside Morris until Morris's retirement in 2007. Since establishing his own studio, Skyriver has traveled and taught extensively — from Japan to Norway, Italy, Denmark, and Turkey — and his sculptures have been shown in solo and group exhibitions internationally.

In SJIMA's soaring Sterner Atrium Gallery, with its two-story glass walls and glass roof flooding the space with natural light, Fluid Life will find a setting as luminous as the work itself.

Plan Your Visit

SJIMA's Summer 2026 exhibitions open June 11, 2026 and run through September 14, 2026. The museum is located at 540 Spring Street in Friday Harbor. Beginning June 11, summer hours are Thursday through Monday, 11 AM–5 PM. Docent-led tours are available by prior reservation. General admission is $10; free for members and visitors under 18. Pay-what-you-like every Monday.

Plan your visit at sjima.org.

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SJIMA gratefully acknowledges the generous support that makes our Summer 2026 exhibitions possible.

Honeywell Foundation, Mark Torrance Foundation, Town of Friday Harbor, San Juan County, San Juan Island Community Foundation, Barbara Von Gehr, Peg Gerlock, Phil Johnson

In-Kind Sponsors: Browne's Home Center, Harbor Rental, Printonyx, Terry Ogle Painting