Artist Christopher Marley’s ‘Exquisite Creatures’ exhibit is at the Science Museum, he’ll be there Saturday

As an artist and naturalist, Christopher Marley has found a colorful but unusual calling.

His exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota in downtown St. Paul features preserved animal specimens and other natural objects arranged in mosaic-like geometric patterns. Beetles, seashell-like ammonites, crystals, lizards and more form a three-dimensional kaleidoscope of the natural world.

Marley was scheduled to be on hand in February for the opening of the temporary exhibit, dubbed "Exquisite Creatures," but his initial appearance was stymied by bad weather.

He’ll be at the Science Museum in person from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to help kick off its summer programming, which include a series of activity-centered "STEM Adventure Saturdays."

About 2% of the specimens in the exhibit are North American. Much comes from the tropics, especially Southeast Asia, as well as Africa and Europe. Among his favorite collection spots, Marley is affiliated with an entomology and bird research camp in a secluded, undeveloped jungle forest of Borneo, where more than 200 new species of insects have been discovered in the past five years alone.

Cute kittens and friendly dolphins get a lot of attention. But there's a place in Marley's world for beetles and sea urchins.

"There's probably 10,000 specimens in the exhibit, and the majority are insects," said Marley, in an interview. "All of the vertebrates are reclaimed organisms, so they die of natural causes, almost all of them in captivity. There are some pieces that are behind magnification so you can appreciate the finer detail, and the largest specimen is a Great African Pelican with about an 11-foot wingspan. Some of the smaller leaf beetles are maybe two millimeters. And there's everything in between."

He added: "The objective is to de-creepify the living things that don't get as much love as others. I don't work with mammals. It helps a more urbane population make those connections with nature that may be more elusive."

The museum is collecting questions online for Marley to answer in person or through its social media channels. Among the prompts: "What is biophilia, and is it contagious? How many creatures are in the Exquisite Creatures exhibit? What are the most frightening or most fun animals to work with? Where did this idea come from?"

Questions can be posted at tinyurl.com/MarleyQuestions2023.

Here's a spoiler: the dictionary definition of "biophilia" is "an instinctive sense of kinship with the rest of the living, breathing, world," which forms the theme of the exhibit. It's also the title of his second book — "Biophilia" — which was published in 2015 and quickly became a New York Times Bestseller. A large percentage of the exhibit is featured in "Exquisite Creatures," his third book, which was published this year. Marley will be signing books Saturday.

Marley, who once spent a decade traveling 35 countries as a young male model, maintains studios in Willamette Valley, Ore., and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as well as a gallery in Beijing. "Exquisite Creatures" is backed by the Smaby Family Foundation in Marcell, Minn.

As part of STEM Adventure Saturdays, the Science Museum will also host a water festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday featuring conversations with scientists, demonstrations from community partners and other activities.

The museum will celebrate water through July 7 with exhibits and activities, and then pivot to air and space July 8 to Aug. 4, dinosaurs from Aug. 5 to Sept. 1 and backyard science from Sept. 2 through Oct. 16.

"Exquisite Creatures" runs through Sept. 4. More information is online at tinyurl.com/ScienceMuseumMarley.

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