Human Nature – At The Morton Arboretum

A beautiful day at the Morton Arboretum and the perfect setting for their latest art exhibition entitled ‘Human Nature.’

Gingko

These magnificent sculptures by artist Daniel Popper should definitely be viewed from all angles, not only to enjoy the piece itself, but how it relates to the surrounding landscape.

Hallow

These 15 to 26ft tall sculptures were created exclusively for the Arboretum and are made of aluminum, steel, fiberglass, wood and concrete.

Sentient

Each sculpture weighs several metric tons but despite their size, they are sometimes dwarfed by the surrounding trees of the Arboretum.

Umi

The sculptures are spread throughout the Arboretum and although there are parking areas by most of them, some require a short walk to gain access.

Ephemera

The exhibition will be open through March 2023 and I’m looking forward to making a second visit later in the Fall when the surrounding trees will take on a whole new appearance.

Heartwood

The artist, Daniel Popper, is from Cape Town, South Africa, and his art installations include the memorial sculpture for the Nelson Mandela School of Science and Technology in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

Basilica

Creatures of a Dream World

Here are some of the weird and wonderful creatures that we encountered on our recent visit to Cantigny Park in Wheaton. Visiting Cantigny is always a pleasure as the gardens are magnificent, but the art exhibition entitled ‘Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World’ made it even more enjoyable.

These amazing sculptures were created by six artists from Mexico City who regularly participate in the annual ‘Day of the Dead’ parade in that city. The Alebrijes date back to 1936 when artist Pedro Linares was inspired by a dream that he had while he was ill with a fever. The creatures have since gained in popularity and have even been featured in the Disney movie Coco.

The figures are made of papier-mache applied to wire frames and coated with lacquer to protect them from moisture. The designs and colors are absolutely stunning! And there are 49 of these sculptures placed throughout the park.

The sculptures are the property of the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage and after the exhibition closes in October, some of them will be donated to local schools and museums. The artists who created these wonderful works of art are:- Perla Miriam Salgado Zamorano, Alejandro Comacho Barrera, Alberto Moreno Fernandez, Roberto Carlos Martinez Tecillo, Edgar Israel Camargo Reyes and Emanuel Arturo Zarate Ortiz.

It may be of interest to note that while we there at Cantigny Park, Illinois Governor Pritzker was in the gardens giving a press conference promoting tourism in Illinois. Cantigny should most assuredly be on your list of places to see if you are visiting Illinois.

An Interesting Development

You may remember that I mentioned some art installations at the Chicago Botanic Garden a few weeks ago. These are in celebration of the Garden’s 50th Anniversary and although they are small in number they are quite impressive.

To my mind, the most interesting piece is a creation called ‘The Rookery’. Designed by Patrick Dougherty and made from willow saplings, it stands in an open space where they usually hold the kite festival, and is open for all to explore. And there has been an interesting development. Since the last time I was at the garden a few weeks ago, ‘The Rookery’ has sprouted. It is a living display of creative art. It will be interesting to see what it looks like weeks from now, after we finally get some much needed rain.

Garden Mystery Solved

The prime reason for my trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden this week was to solve a mystery that had been bugging me ever since my last visit, but more on that later. Needless to say, I got sidetracked by all the beautiful scenery and colorful flowers.

As to the mystery, you may remember, if you read my earlier post, that a strange structure had sprung up in one of the open spaces in the garden. This turned out to be an art installation, one of several, that will help to celebrate the Garden’s 50th Anniversary this year. As I mentioned before, they rarely have outdoor art exhibits, the garden itself being enough to please the eye without further embellishments but I’m looking forward to seeing the completed project and will share more pictures in future Garden posts.

Photographing Public Art – In Elk Grove

This week, Marsha is hosting the Photographing Public Art Challenge and has found some interesting works of art in Mesa, Arizona.

Almost everywhere you go in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, you’ll see ‘elk’ art. Earlier this year we happened to be driving down Oakton Street, past Elk Grove Technology Park, a new state-of-the-art industrial facility and noticed some interesting sculptures dotted about the grounds, so we stopped to take a closer look.

Meanwhile, over at the Busse Woods Forest Preserve in Elk Grove, you can see the real thing. The elk herd has been re-established and they are looking fit and well.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Seeing Double

This week, Tina is asking us to See Double for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. Rainy days and time on my hands due to a gimpy leg has prompted me to resort to more tiddling about on the computer.  The first three images are new creations but the last one is something I came up with many years ago that I thought fitted in with this week’s subject.

 

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Layered

This week, Amy has chosen Layered as the topic for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.  I visited the Chicago Botanic Garden yesterday where they were preparing for Night of 1,000 Jack-O’-Lanterns.  Peel away the layers of a pumpkin and what do you get? Scroll down to see the result.

Filling The Frame – At Mount Rushmore

This week, Patti has chosen Filling the Frame as the subject for the Lens Artists Photo Challenge and my first choice for this particular challenge was Mount Rushmore. I say ‘first choice’ as I work mostly with zoom lenses and most of my photo shoots include close-ups so don’t be surprised if you see another entry from me later in the week.  Thanks, Patti!

Lego At The Zoo

Having spent countless hours with the grandchildren, over the years, trying to make anything remotely recognizable out of Lego, I can appreciate how much work went into creating the more than 40 life-size creatures that featured in Brookfield Zoo’s Brick Safari this summer.

Do these creations qualify as sculptures? I’m not sure, but they are certainly works of art.

The resulting photos have the rather weird effect of looking over-pixelated ( if that’s the correct term.)

One of my favorites was Lance the Leopard who required 42,500 bricks and 340 hours to complete.

It took 375 hours and 110,000 bricks to make Grace the Giraffe who weighs in at 1,652 pounds.  That’s a lot of Lego!

The rhinoceros took 155,000 bricks and 403 hours to complete, while Eli the Elk took a mere 87,464 bricks. 

The grizzly bears were quite impressive, taking 136,569 bricks and 382 hours to build.  They looked quite at home in this woodland setting.

I’m not sure who worked on these amazing pieces but all I can say is, “Well done!”

 

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Elemental

This week, Amy has chosen Five Elements as the topic for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.  There has clearly been too much rainy weather here of late, which is evidenced by the fact that I have had plenty of time to tiddle around on the computer and thus come up with my interpretation of the five elements, metal, wood, water, fire and earth.