Exploring the Depths: Ocean-Inspired Works from the Interior Museum's Collection

June 12, 2025 - ongoing

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Exhibition icon for "Exploring the Depths: Ocean-Inspired Works from the Interior Museum's Collection" showing text plus a detail of a barracuda and a sea turtle from a Hans Ongelungel painting

With June as both Ocean Month and the official start to summer, the Interior Museum spotlights seven works of art inspired by the ocean. Explore how each piece reflects a different aspect of the U.S. Department of the Interior's mission. Artists featured are the Bureau of Land Management's National Operations Center Publishing Staff, Matthew Christenson, Charley Harper, Darby Hayes, Hans Ongelungel, Cal Robinson, and Murray Tinkelman.

(62 square feet)

Accessibility

  • Visitors with Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) may borrow EnChroma-enhanced eyewear to aid in seeing an expanded range of colors more clearly and vibrantly during their gallery experience.

Exhibition Highlights

  • "West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)" by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cal Robinson, 2023, digital painting

    West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) by Cal Robinson, 2023
    West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) by Cal Robinson, 2023
    U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07508

    "West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)" by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cal Robinson, 2023, digital painting

    To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act in 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a series of eight posters highlighting federally-listed species that have been the focus of long-term recovery efforts. The digital portraitist for the project was Cal Robinson, a public affairs specialist with the Service’s Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office.

    Featured here are two West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus)—a mother and calf. Manatees are large, planting-eating marine mammals considered threatened, with an estimated 13,000 worldwide. They are federally protected under both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 

  • "Biscayne National Park," by Murray Tinkelman (1933–2016), 1975, pen and ink on paper

    Biscayne National Park by Murray Tinkelman (1933-2016), 1975
    Biscayne National Park by Murray Tinkelman (1933-2016), 1975
    U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 00163

    "Biscayne National Park," by Murray Tinkelman (1933–2016), 1975, pen and ink on paper

    Celebrated illustrator Murray Tinkelman headlined this view of Biscayne National Park’s coral reefs with a quote attributed to ecologist Aldo Leopold, emphasizing interconnectivity among living things and a holistic approach to conservation. Although this watery South Florida park is only 20 miles from Miami—among the nation’s most populous metropolitan areas—its four distinct ecosystems support hundreds of species of birds, insects, reptiles, corals, and reef fish. Eco-adventures for visitors include camping, kayaking through the mangroves, and scuba diving to shipwrecks along a maritime heritage trail.
     

  • "Fish-bearing Breadfruit Tree of Ngibtal," by Hans Ongelungel (b. 1956), 1996, acrylic on canvas

    Painting by Hans Ongelungel
    Painting by Hans Ongelungel
    U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, INTR 07399

    "Fish-bearing Breadfruit Tree of Ngibtal," by Hans Ongelungel (b. 1956), 1996, acrylic on canvas

    The Republic of Palau is a sovereign nation in the western Pacific Ocean with a special relationship with the United States under the Compact of Free Association. Palau is comprised of more than 300 islands known in part for their pristine waters and abundant marine life. This painting by Palauan artist Hans Ongelungel exemplifies Palau’s connections to the sea: turtles, sharks, coral, and an array of reef fish inhabit the underwater scene, while above is a traditional bai or meeting house and a visual interpretation of a Palauan legend about a magical breadfruit tree that bestows fish from its cut branches.

  • West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) by Cal Robinson, 2023
  • Biscayne National Park by Murray Tinkelman (1933-2016), 1975
  • Painting by Hans Ongelungel

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