Donald Martin: Connections

The Lightner Museum presents the work of Donald Martin from Friday, March 6, 2026, through Sunday, May 17, 2026. The exhibit's opening reception is on Friday, March 6, from 5:30 to 7:30, during St. Augustine's First Friday Art Walk. 

The Artist

Donald Martin's work can seem abstract; however, most of his creations depict details of our natural world. Martin has lived in St. Augustine for over 50 years. As an educator, he teaches at the college level, offering courses on printmaking, design, drawing, and book arts. On his website, Martin says, "The images of nature in my work represent a complex and tangled world where plant forms are often engaged in a competition for space and light which is, to me, an appropriate metaphor for the present state of the natural world."

Martin's work has been exhibited in various galleries around the country,

The cover photo is a section of an untitled print that appears in the show.

Admission: $20.00 for adults, $17.00 for seniors, military, and college students (with ID), $13.00 for youth ages 12 to 17, and $12.00 for residents of St. Johns County. Free for children ages 11 and younger, and Flagler College students (with ID).

When: Saturday, March 7 through Sunday, May 17, 2026.

Where: The Lightner Museum, 75 King Street, St. Augustine

About the Lightner

Hours: The museum is generally open seven days a week, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. They are closed on New Year's Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas

The Museum: The Lightner Museum is housed in the former Alcazar Hotel. Constructed in 1888 by Henry Flagler, the Alcazar was the railroad magnate's second grand hotel in St. Augustine. The Spanish Renaissance Revival hotel hosted thousands of guests who enjoyed its remarkable recreation facilities—including the world's largest swimming pool, and Turkish and Russian steam baths, which can still be seen in the museum. (Although the pool now functions as a restaurant and venue.)

The Alcazar closed during the Depression, and in 1947, Otto Lightner purchased the museum and gifted it to the city. Lightner transformed the former Gilded Age resort hotel into an eclectic museum to house and display the art and artifacts he had collected for years. Today, the Lightner Museum shows selections of Lightner's unique collection of Americana, fine and decorative art, and natural history specimens, and presents several art exhibits each year.