This is your last chance to see giant trolls at the Morton Arboretum
From his hillside post, the woodland creature holds court over Interstate 88, a forest giant among concrete and steel.
His creator gave him a common name. But names can be deceiving.
A huge, mythical troll, “Joe the Guardian” has presided over his domain with a stone-tipped spear and wild mane of tree branches sprouting from his head.
His reign protecting the trees of the Morton Arboretum from the perils of the asphalt jungle is coming to an end, but Joe and the rest of his tribe of trolls were a cast of unforgettable characters.
This weekend is the last chance to catch a glimpse of the arboretum inhabitants before the enchanting “Troll Hunt” exhibit officially concludes Sunday. The tree museum in Lisle plans to dismantle the sculptures, the work of Danish artist Thomas Dambo, sometime in February, depending on the winter weather.
It was a storybook beginning when six trolls made their dwelling in the summer of 2018. That year, the arboretum set an attendance record with 1.3 million visitors. Then in 2019, the second year of Troll Hunt, the arboretum had several record-setting months and an overall attendance of 1.24 million guests.
“I think people liked the folklore. I think they liked the uniqueness,” said Alicia LaVire, an arboretum vice president. “This isn't a traveling exhibition. It's a one-of-a-kind special exhibition that was custom designed for the site of the arboretum.”
Hoping to build on the popularity of the trolls, the arboretum will welcome five new, humanlike sculptures of the same scale. “Human+Nature” by South African artist Daniel Popper is slated to open April 9, almost a year later than originally planned because of the pandemic.
Popper will install the sculptures - 15 to 26 feet tall - on-site with the help of an arboretum crew. Construction is expected to start in March.
“It's larger than life,” LaVire said of his public art. “And I think what's really of most appeal is the theme of the exhibition itself, which explores the relationship between humans and nature or people and plants. That's such a relevant topic at this time, especially as people are yearning to get outside and experience nature as an escape from the pandemic.”
As a roadside attraction, Joe the Guardian invited tollway drivers to escape suburban sprawl and search for his brethren across the arboretum grounds. Each had its quirks.
You have to venture into a meadow to get an up-close look at, or climb on top of, “Little Arturs,” a 60-foot-long troll with spruce branches for hair.
“It has really moved people out further in the 1,700 acres of the arboretum site,” LaVire said of the riddle-filled hunt.
Dambo achieved a sense of discovery and whimsy with his creations, inspired by Scandinavian folklore and made of wooden pallets and other recycled materials. Dambo also has built trolls in South Korea, Belgium and his native Denmark to weave a global story that he hopes encourages his audience to take the less-traveled path, immerse themselves in nature and take responsibility for the planet.
“By rushing inside our cars through life, often we just give ourselves worse experiences,” Dambo told the Daily Herald in 2018. “But if we take the time to do it with our own body, the experience gets bigger.”