Morton Arboretum's Troll Hunt exhibit draws in crowds
Officials with the Morton Arboretum in Lisle are celebrating this week. Now that it is officially fall, they are able to look back at their summer numbers and, well, the results are record-breaking.
For instance, in July alone, more than 160,000 people visited the grounds, which is 10,000 more than its previous record-breaking month set in October 2011 during its traditionally strong, fall festival season.
Officials say that visitors are coming from throughout Chicago and the suburbs, as well as from throughout the Midwest and New York, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. International visitors have come from such places as Canada, Ireland and India.
"It's really exciting," says Sarah Sargent, the arboretum's manager of interpretation and exhibits. "We're setting records."
At the root of this surge in interest is the Arboretum's whimsical Troll Hunt exhibit, which opened in June and is expected to remain on display through the end of the year, and possibly into 2019, if the mighty trolls survive winter conditions.
"We've also seen a significant increase in first time memberships," Sargent adds. "Over this same period last year, we sold 700 new memberships. This year, since the Troll Hunt exhibit opened, we've had 2,500 new memberships."
Created by Copenhagen artist Thomas Dambo, these 15- to 30-foot-tall sculptures were created to serve as protectors of the environment. These mysterious creatures resemble the trolls of European folklore and have drawn interest from all age groups, Sargent says.
"I think people find them whimsical, yet friendly," Sargent adds. "Their size is striking, but so is the workmanship, especially in their faces, hands and feet. They're just very expressive."
This is the first large-scale U.S. exhibition for Dambo, who works exclusively in repurposed wood and recycled materials. His first wooden installation, the "Six Forgotten Giants," remains on display in Copenhagen and has a similar mission to its U.S. counterpart.
"I wanted to make something which could get people out and explore the beautiful parts hidden in nature, which you usually wouldn't see," Dambo explained last year in an April 2017 YouTube video on the exhibit.
Dambo visited the Arboretum last year and again in January to examine the habitat for his trolls. He started making the hands, feet and faces in his workshop in Copenhagen, before arriving April 30 to begin constructing them.
The construction of the six giants took place as part of an artist-in-residence program at the Arboretum. Dambo worked with five artists he brought from Denmark, as well as 60 artists, carpenters and woodworkers from the community to bring the creatures to life.
What makes the exhibit unique, officials say, is that they are spread out across the Arboretum's 1,700 acre-grounds, which encourages patrons to explore its leafy green trees, walk along woodland trails, and take in the fields of tall grasses and wildflowers - all while searching for trolls.
Typically, the Arboretum's summer exhibits are centered around its core areas, including the Visitor Center, the children's garden and Meadow Lake.
"Thomas is all about sustainability and re-use, so when he came to see the Arboretum landscape, it really resonated with him," Sargent says, adding that these trolls are unique to the Arboretum and were made mostly of recycled wood from the grounds.
Anyway you look at it, this public art exhibit that merges nature with craftsmanship is a win-win for the Morton Arboretum, whose mission is to engage people in its work to save trees.
"His trolls and the story behind them will amaze and intrigue visitors of all ages," said Sue Wagner, vice president of education and information, "while drawing attention to how humans can better care for trees and the environment in which we live."