‘Vivid Creatures’ exhibit bring colorful giant sculptures to Morton Arboretum

The sun is shining, flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and summer is in full swing. As you plan your list of outdoor activities, consider taking time to reflect on the natural world at The Morton Arboretum with their new art exhibition, “Vivid Creatures: An encounter with colorful forest friends.”

This outdoor art collection consists of five larger-than life animal figures bedecked with boldly painted mosaics. Towering up to 24-feet-tall, each sculpture depicts a native species of the Midwestern area, which include the white-tailed deer, brittle button snail, fox squirrel, dragonfly, and sandhill crane.

The works are a collaboration between Oregon-native artists and life partners Heather and Fez BaGaetz, whose creations have been showcased in many famous exhibitions, such as Area 15 in Las Vegas and Riyadh, and the Burning Man festival in Nevada. The couple was scouted by The Morton Arboretum exhibition team due to their past works’ sheer size and environmental messaging.

Heather and Fez first visited the arboretum in 2023 for both inspiration and education, as the BeGaetz’s produced these pieces alongside the arboretum’s researchers.

“This exhibition is site-specific,” said Amy Scott, head of exhibitions at The Morton Arboretum. “It is not something that was previously made that we are renting for a time period. They learned from our scientists, docents, and other staff here about the different wildlife we have on the grounds and how it’s all interrelated, from migration patterns to ecosystems. They then created these five animals inspired by their time on-site at The Morton Arboretum.”

After learning more about Midwestern animals, the artists designed a uniquely colorful mosaic for each creature that is reflective of both their behavior and place in the environment. For example, the sandhill crane is full of migration imagery, symbolizing the animal’s annual movement southward. Conversely, the dragonfly contains depictions of frogs and goldfish, which are the insect’s natural predators.

These mosaics are what excite Scott and her team the most.

“There are little hidden details in each of these pieces that maybe you wouldn’t take away when you see a squirrel running by on the path. We love layering art onto nature for our visitors so people can connect with the arboretum in different ways,” she said.

Because of the sheer size of these sculptures, they were made in pieces for easy travel from the artists’ home in Oregon. Each sculpture was rebuilt here for the exhibition’s grand opening May 17.

Four of the five sculptures are easily accessible to all arboretum patrons, situated on an ADA-approved walkway within one mile of the visitor’s center. For those looking for a bit of an adventure, however, the arboretum placed the brittle button snail sculpture on the berm along I-88.

All of the sculptures are included with admission, so come see these colossal beauties for yourself at The Morton Arboretum.