As drivers on Interstate-88 zoom past the Morton Arboretum in the western suburb of Lisle, they can now glimpse a new creature overlooking the highway on the hill where Joe the Guardian, a giant wooden troll, previously stood watch from 2018 to 2021. The new sculpture, titled Spectra, is a 16-foot brittle button snail whimsically rendered in bright oranges and reds, with a metallic-accented rainbow spiraling across her shell.
Spectra is one of five sculptures featured in “Vivid Creatures,” a new exhibition by Portland-based artists and married couple Heather BeGaetz and Fez BeGaetz. Ranging from 8 to 23 feet tall, the figures are inspired by wildlife native to Northern Illinois and include Scamp (fox squirrel), Generosity (white-tailed deer), Cadence (sandhill crane) and Nimbly (blue dasher dragonfly).
“Vivid Creatures” opens to the public on May 17, with the final sculpture, Nimbly, set to be unveiled on June 2. The series represents the latest biannual outdoor exhibition the Arboretum has commissioned in recent years, following “Troll Hunt” by artist Thomas Dambo, “Human+Nature” by Daniel Popper (2021-23) and “Of the Earth” by Olga Ziemska (2023-25).
The overarching theme of “Vivid Creatures” is the interconnectedness of all living things, or the fact that “all of the elements of nature support each other’s existence,” said Amy Scott, Morton Arboretum’s head of exhibitions. Generosity, a white-tailed deer that stands 22 feet tall, exemplifies this idea. With his branchlike antlers and root-shaped legs, he plays a similar role to the trees of the forest by serving as host to smaller living things. Keen-eyed viewers will spot all four of the other animals from the exhibition perched in his antlers or painted on his body.
Scott said that another goal of the exhibition is “hopefully inspiring people to maybe slow down and take a breath and look around at the world, at nature around them. The Morton Arboretum really wants to inspire people to get more observant and curious.”
When the Arboretum began planning this project more than two years ago, its team was drawn to the large scale of the BeGaetzes’ work and their use of vibrant colors. “Our environment here and our landscape is gorgeous and beautiful, but because it’s so big, it tends to swallow up the pieces, so we really need pieces that are very large in order for it to feel impactful,” Scott said.
The artists visited the Arboretum in March 2023 to gather ideas by observing local wildlife and learning about the ecosystem from the scientists on staff. Scamp was inspired by their young daughter, Calliope, feeding nuts to a squirrel and trying to play ball with it during their visit. The posture of the sculpture, which depicts a fox squirrel clutching a nut in her paws, is modeled after a photo of that interaction.
Before becoming a visual artist, Heather worked as a theatrical writer, director, performer and mask-maker, and this background informs her sculptural works. “I always lead in from a place of story, using all art to tell story, to create worlds, to invite people into other worlds,” she said.
The BeGaetzes created a backstory for each of the five creatures — with overtones of fairytales and mythology about the natural world — and wove elements of these stories into the designs. For example, the sandhill crane’s dancelike pose and the orange moon painted on her chest offer clues to her tale. “Cadence’s story is that her parents were dancing as cranes do when they’re mating, and they were dancing in a pond where the full moon was reflected in the surface of the pond,” said Heather. “And then the next day, they laid this egg. And so, she is a being through whom the moon can touch the Earth whenever she lands.”
Working with a small crew at their Portland studio, the artists used 3-D modeling software to design the creatures, then built each sculpture by constructing a steel support structure, packing it with crumpled aluminum foil and applying fiber-reinforced concrete. After transporting the sculptures to Illinois in five semi-trucks, their process continues with assembling and installing the massive structures — which are supported by underground concrete blocks — and painting and sealing the surfaces for durability.
On the opening day of “Vivid Creatures,” a limited number of visitors will hear directly from the BeGaetzes about their creative process during a ticketed walking tour. Each weekend from May 24 through Sept. 1, the arboretum will offer free art workshops in the Children’s Garden, where families can create artwork inspired by the exhibition.
“I really like to use art to inspire wonder, creativity, play,” said Heather. “These are all qualities that we literally need to face hard things in our life, and so, I just hope that people will arrive before these creatures and kind of see them as an invitation to unwind, to play, to relax, to connect, to make a memory, and carry that with them.”
Emily McClanathan is a freelance writer.
“Vivid Creatures” opens May 17 and is included with general admission to the Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle; open daily 9:00 a.m. to sunset; tickets $10.95-$20.95 and more information at 630-968-0074 and mortonarb.org
