May 23 – October 4, 2026
Regenstein Center Joutras Gallery

Landscape photographer Miles Lowry finds grace and grandeur in what remains of the vast forests and savannas that once covered the eastern half of the United States.

Until very recently—just two hundred years ago—nearly the entire eastern half of the United States was covered by vast tracts of American chestnut and yellow birch, oak, hemlock and maple, all now collectively called “old-growth” or “primary” forests. Reaching into the Midwest, the forests gave way to more open landscapes—grassy, flower-filled savannas and sun-dappled oak/hickory woodlands—before relinquishing to the prairie-covered plains. By 1900, the eastern old-growth forests were nearly razed, and the savannas were plowed under and grazed to the ground. 

Photographer Miles Lowry has found a way to focus attention on these now rare native landscapes. Since 2001, Lowry has searched out and documented restored savannas in Illinois and pockets of old-growth forest around the eastern United States. His images, often presented as constructed panoramics—several square images combined into one multiple-framed composition—make clear that the remnants of our grand native landscapes are worthy of our attention and protection.