Don’t miss Spirit Guides: Fantastical Creatures from the Workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles, exhibited throughout Fernbank’s WildWoods now through August 3, to discover which of the eight hybrid animals sculptures that blend Zapotec indigenous culture of Southern Mexico with contemporary art speak to your essence.
“The monkey-iguana, it does feel like he is looking straight at you,” explains Maria Moreno, Fernbank Program Manager and content expert for Spirit Guides exhibit. “The monkey represents creativity; and the iguana signifies perseverance. I see myself in him.”
Inspired by Zapotec astrology, the married artist team from Oaxaca, Mexico, imagined these combined creatures, based on the ancient belief that at birth you are assigned a protector animal that shares your destiny and soul and another that mirrors your personality traits.
“These ‘animals’ are with you through life’s hurdles and give you guidance,” Morena said. If you’ve seen the Pixar film, “Coco” you may already be familiar with these spirit guides, also known as alebrijes.
As you enter the Nature Gallery section of WildWoods where spring is in bloom, the armadillo-insect greets with you it’s modest demeanor. The armadillo represents empathy and the insect signifies vitality.
“I love how the armadillo is just chilling and letting the wings do all the work,” said a guest while photographing his favorite combo. At nearly eight-feet tall and nine-feet wide, these brightly colored whimsical forms make the perfect subjects.
The Denver Botanical Gardens commissioned the sculptures for this traveling exhibit. To survive the weather, they are constructed out of fiberglass, not wood or paper mache as is custom, and adorned by acrylic paint rather than traditional paints made of natural pigments. Scan the QR code on the Coyote-Fish placard for a brief video that shows how the sculptures were made.
QR codes throughout the exhibit cover a range of topics including Zapotec sacred foods and the Ángeles’ reforestation initiative. Signage at each sculpture is presented in English and Spanish and explains what the animals, colors and intricate geometric patterns represent.
“On the camel-eagle are patterns that represent worship (staircase like pattern), work (diamonds) and community (a shape of a person in a house),” Morena shared.
Just as the Ángeleses innovated their creations by including a camel not found in Zapotec culture, a young guest named Amaya, who enjoys drawing her own “monsters” at home was inspired to create her own hybrid creature.
“Look Mommy!’ Amaya said as she showed her Mom an AI generated image.
“You made your own! it’s a gir-uff!” her Mom Kerri exclaimed.
Amaya says she chose body of the giraffe for Africa (she is half Tanzanian) and the head of a dog because he’s cute.
“So your spirit guide is cute and culture,” her Mom said. True, but she was also drawn to the deer-butterfly, which seemed to match her energy and optimism.
Let your imagination run wild too this spring and summer at the Spirit Guides exhibit. And for a longer walk follow the path from WildWoods into Fernbank’s 65-acre old growth forest.
“Nothing compares to being in the middle of a bustling city and having a place where you can see nature, calm down and then get back to your day-to-day,” Moreno said.
The Spirit Guides exhibit is included in General Admission tickets and can be paired with an after-hours event (21+) or a guided hike.
Must sees? That’s easy!
“See all eight hybrid creatures and find the one you resonate with the most,” Moreno suggests.
