Thomas D. Mangelsen: A LIFE IN THE WILD Opens at Stuhr Museum June 20

Stuhr Museum is proud to announce A LIFE IN THE WILD, a nationally touring exhibition featuring the work of acclaimed wildlife photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen, will be exhibited in the Leo B. Stuhr Building this summer. On view June 20 through September 7, 2026, this landmark exhibition marks the final stop of an extraordinary 8-year, 31-venue tour spanning the United States and Canada—and carries special significance as a homecoming to Mangelsen’s Nebraska roots.

Featuring 40 of Mangelsen’s most resonant and iconic wildlife images, A LIFE IN THE WILD invites visitors on a powerful visual journey into the natural world and the fragile balance of survival shared by its most iconic species. Each photograph reflects decades of fieldwork, patience, and a rare ability to capture animals in their natural environments under uncompromising conditions.

Mangelsen’s work is known for being created entirely in the wild, with no studio setups or artificial staging. His images are the result of long hours of observation, deep understanding of animal behavior, and the ability to anticipate fleeting moments in rapidly changing natural environments. The exhibition highlights not only the beauty of the natural world, but also the discipline and perseverance required to document it.

At a time when digital media continues to shorten attention spans, A LIFE IN THE WILD stands as a reminder of the value of slowing down, observing deeply, and allowing nature to reveal itself on its own terms. The exhibition encourages reflection on humanity’s relationship with the natural world and the urgent need for conservation and awareness in the 21st century.

ABOUT THOMAS D. MANGELSEN

A Nebraska native, Mangelsen’s love of nature, his life outdoors and business success were heavily influenced by his father. An avid sportsman, Harold Mangelsen took his sons to their favorite blinds along the Platte River in Nebraska to observe the great flocks of ducks, geese and cranes that migrate through the valley. From these adventures, Mangelsen learned important lessons for photographing in the field, most notably patience and understanding animal behavior.

In 1965, Mangelsen began studying business at the University of Nebraska. In 1967, Tom transferred to Doane College in Crete, Nebraska, where he changed his major and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology. Tom continued postgraduate study in zoology and wildlife biology at the University of Nebraska and Colorado State University.

In 1970 Mangelsen moved to Nederland, Colorado. He spent two years living in the Rocky Mountains in an old mining shack without electricity or running water with his English setter, black lab and raccoon. Tom continued to work on his photography and studied arctic alpine ecology at the University of Colorado’s Mountain Research Station near Nederland. There he met Bert Kempers, a CU film producer, who later hired Tom as cinematographer and film editor for his company Westwind Productions, making educational and nature documentaries. Tom longed to make a documentary about the Platte River and its great wildlife resource. He returned to the Platte each spring to film the great crane migration. These experiences led to Tom traveling to the cranes’ nesting grounds in Alaska and their wintering areas in Texas. National Geographic television wanted to produce a documentary, which would chronicle the plight of the endangered whooping crane and the efforts to bring them back from the brink of extinction. After learning that Tom had been photographing sandhill and whooping cranes for more than ten years, they hired him as cinematographer and associate producer for the television special Flight of the Whooping Crane, which was nominated for an Emmy award. Mangelsen also photographed and produced the PBS NATURE and BBC Natural World film, Cranes of the Grey Wind, a documentary on the life cycle of the sandhill crane.

Initially Mangelsen was fascinated with photographing birds in flight. In the early 1970s, Tom and his brother David began selling limited edition prints of his images. In 1978, Mangelsen opened his first Images of Nature® gallery in Jackson, Wyoming. Since then a number of Mangelsen®—Images of Nature Gallery locations have opened across the United States.

Exhibition Details

Exhibition: Thomas D. Mangelsen: A LIFE IN THE WILD 
Dates: June 20 – September 7, 2026 
Location: Stuhr Museum, Grand Island, Nebraska 
Featuring: 40 large-scale wildlife photographs by Thomas D. Mangelsen 
Tour Significance: Final stop of a 31-venue, 8-year touring exhibition across the U.S. and Canada 

Stuhr Museum invites visitors from across Nebraska, the region, and beyond to experience this nationally significant exhibition during its exclusive final presentation.