Cantigny welcomes 'Dream World' inspired by Mexican folklore this summer

Colorful creatures will greet visitors to Cantigny Park this summer when a new outdoor exhibition showcasing dozens of mythical animals inspired by Mexican folklore opens in June.

“Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World” runs from June 1 to Oct. 31, on the grounds of the 500-acre Cantigny estate at 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton.

The exhibition consists of 48 eye-catching art works of up to 14 feet in height created by Mexico City artists. Alebrijes refers to the fantastical creatures Mexican artist Pedro Linares created during the 1930s, which were featured in the 2017 Disney/Pixar film “Coco.” Linares also coined the term “alebrijes.”

Six established artists from Mexico City — master craftsman Perla Miriam Salgado Zamorano and a collective of five other artists, Alejandro Camacho Barrera, Alberto Moreno Fernández, Roberto Carlos Martinez, Edgar Israel Camargo Reyes and Arturo Zárate Ortiz — will create the Cantigny alebrijes.

Cantigny presents the installation in cooperation with the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage, the city of West Chicago and the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Cantigny Park President and CEO Timothy P. Knight described “Creatures of the Dream World” as a must-see celebration of Mexican culture.

Additional educational programming will accompany the exhibition, including lectures and demonstrations, garden tours, children's workshops, concerts and other special events.

“We are excited to share this work with the community,” Fernando Ramirez, president and founder of Mexican Cultural Center DuPage, said in a prepared statement. “It's gratifying to see our collaboration and partnership with Mexican artists lead to a major installation like this. People are going to love it, and they're going to learn some fascinating things about Mexico's cultural traditions.”

Admission to “Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World” is $5 per car, $10 per car on summer weekends. The park is open from 7 a.m. to sunset May 1 through October. See cantigny.org for more information.