Garrison Art Center Presents “In Suspect Terrain,” an Exhibition by Michael Prettyman
Exhibition Dates: February 7 – March 8, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 7, 2026, 5 – 7 PM
Artist Talk: February 22, 2026
In Fire Paintings, Prettyman painstakingly recreates historic American landscapes in oil, interrupting their bucolic calm with fire. Blending humor and tragedy that reflect the fragility of our environment in the Anthropocene, these works reveal a world shaped by climate change and cultural upheaval. Traditional technique meets pointed absurdity, until it becomes clear that what is truly absurd is what humans continue to do to the planet.
In his UFO Paintings, Michael introduces small, delicate UFOs into otherwise ordinary skies, subtly transforming the landscape. These figures evoke the unseen and the jarring, creating a dialogue between the familiar and the mysterious—the elusive “other.” Acting as quiet companions within the scenes he depicts, they highlight our connection to forces both natural and unknown, suggesting moments that feel enchanted yet carry an ominous, or perhaps a benign presence.
Together, “In Suspect Terrain” confronts humanity’s place in history and the environment, exploring loss, wonder, and the abnormal possibilities of our shared world.
Michael Prettyman is a contemporary artist and scholar of comparative religion. A maker his whole life, his paintings, drawings, and sculptures explore representational art through cross-cultural spiritual and eschatological traditions, blending material practice with meditation. Trained in classical painting in the U.S., and thangka painting in India, and Nepal, he holds a master’s in theology from Harvard Divinity School. His work has been exhibited internationally, with permanent murals at the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Botanical Gardens, Bronx Zoo and St. John’s Church. He teaches at Hunter College, lectures widely on creativity and mysticism, and is developing a book in addition to a body of paintings on the Anthropocene Sublime, a term that describes the awe, terror, and profound emotional experience arising from humanity’s unprecedented impact on Earth.
