The Land We Share

As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, National Medal of Arts recipient Clyde Butcher believes there is an important part of the story that should not be overlooked.

“We celebrate our history, our freedoms, and the people who helped build this country,” said Butcher. “But we should also celebrate the land itself. For generations, America’s landscapes have inspired us, sustained us, and brought us together. Whether standing beside a mountain stream, walking through a forest, or watching the light change across a wetland, people often experience the same feeling, a sense of peace, wonder, and connection. As America celebrates 250 years, I hope these landscapes remind us that the land we share is part of our heritage and one of the things that continues to unite us as Americans.”

For decades, Floridians have known Clyde Butcher as the photographer who revealed the beauty of the Everglades and Florida’s wild places.

What many people do not realize is that Florida is only part of the story.

For more than 60 years, Clyde and his wife, Niki, have explored America together, traveling through redwood forests, mountain wilderness, desert canyons, eastern forests, remote wetlands, and some of the nation’s most treasured parks and protected lands. Together, they traveled thousands of miles documenting the landscapes that define America’s natural heritage.

Now 83, Butcher is reflecting on a lifetime spent exploring and photographing the landscapes of America.

“When I look back over more than 60 years of photography, I don’t just see photographs,” he said. “I see the places, the people, and the experiences that shaped my life.”

“After photographing around the country, I realized that our landscapes are part of our heritage,” he said. “Europe has its castles and historic buildings. We have our parks. The United States was the first country to set aside land simply because it was worth protecting.”

That understanding grew from countless hours spent waiting for the right light and learning to see beauty in places many people pass by without noticing.

One experience in Colorado stayed with him. While waiting for the wind to settle so he could photograph an aspen grove, visitors hurried past on their way to a famous waterfall.

“People would stop and ask what I was photographing,” Butcher recalled. “They were looking for the waterfall, the bear, or the deer. They were so focused on getting somewhere that they missed the beauty that was right in front of them.”

The lesson became central to his work. Rather than simply documenting landscapes, Butcher sought to help people slow down, look more closely, and reconnect with the natural world around them.

For decades, Butcher has used photography to inspire appreciation for America’s natural landscapes and the importance of protecting them for future generations. In 2024, the White House honored that work with the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest award for artistic excellence.

As America celebrates 250 years, Butcher hopes the anniversary will also recognize the generations of people who worked to preserve the places that define our nation.

“These lands didn’t protect themselves,” he said. “We owe a debt of gratitude to the people, past and present, who understood their value and worked to preserve them for future generations.”

To commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, Clyde’s Big Cypress Gallery and Venice Gallery and Studio have each dedicated a special showroom to The Land We Share, a collection of photographs drawn from more than six decades of work across America’s diverse landscapes.

Visitors will have a rare opportunity to meet Clyde Butcher during special opening celebrations at both galleries this summer. The events provide an opportunity to explore the new showroom collections and learn the stories behind the photographs.

Many of the photographs featured in The Land We Share can also be experienced through America the Beautiful, Butcher’s traveling museum exhibition. The exhibition is currently on display at several Florida museums and will continue scheduling museum and cultural institution venues throughout the United States in 2027.

Visitors are invited to meet Clyde Butcher during special opening celebrations for The Land We Share, a collection of photographs drawn from more than six decades of work across America’s diverse landscapes.

The Land We Share will remain on display at Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery and Venice Gallery and Studio through the end of 2026.