This Memorial Day Weekend, Friday May 25 &  Saturday May 26 from 10:00am-4:00pm, meet Clyde Butcher at his St. Armands Gallery for the Opening Reception of his America the Beautiful: The Monumental Landscape exhibition. “The images found in this exhibit reflect my respect and appreciation of those heroes of the past who were willing to stand up and proclaim the need to save our environment so that today we can see portions of our country as pristine, unchanged and unspoiled as it was long ago.” Clyde Butcher Much of America the Beautiful: The Monumental Landscape by Clyde Butcher, majestically captures the great and public natural lands set aside by the Federal and State governments for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this generation and future generations. Through the patriotic generosity of gifts from families such as the Rockefellers, many of the National Parks are preserved as the patrimony of the Nation and meant for all. If every picture tells a story, these powerful black and white images are portraits of the eternal bond between man and nature that is the soul of our country. While this exhibition and its photographs fall squarely as major works of art, it is undeniable that the elusive Nature is threatened by industrial and residential development, and the environment is at grave risk.  It is responsibility of every American to preserve the natural elements of our country.  To make a good start of this, all we need to do as individuals, is simply plant a tree.