LEWIS GINTNER BOTANICAL GARDEN NEAR RICHMOND, VA - CREATURES OF A DREAMWORLD EXHIBIT

This wonderful sculpture is called Goliath and is one I shared in yesterday's post. He is a brightly colored, larger-than-life Alebrije (Mexican folkart sculpture) that combines the features of a deer, giraffe and eagle, to symbolize gentleness, perspective and vision. He is part of the "Creatures of a Dreamworld" exhibit at Lewis Gintner Botanical Garden, near Richmond, Virginia. Goliath was designed by artist Edgar Camargo to honor his childhood hero and father, Goliath. 

 This sculpture was crafted by a team of six Mexican paper-mâché artisans over the course of two months. Consistent with traditional Alebrije folk art, the sculpture is painted in extremely vivid, luminous hues featuring intricate patterns that make the mythical creature pop against the garden's lush landscape (everything I am sharing here was found online, except for my photos. These works are amazing when seen with one's own eyes. Photos don't give them the justice they deserve.)

On Thursday the 25th, we had a wonderful time with family in Richmond (Virginia). We were delighted at the suggestion the week before. The garden is midway between our homes, a two-hour drive for them and a two-hour drive for us. It was a beautiful day, made even more so because of meeting up with our family, which because of distance is too far between get togethers. This day was a blessing and the weather was perfect.

I was delighted to see our family and it was fun to walk around these wonderfully colorful sculptures together. We had lunch in the garden’s cafe later. The first sculpture we saw was the porcupine, and the explanation on the poster reads: Alebrijes (I will give an explanation of this word somewhere below and forgive me if I repeat myself as it is a lot of info and my brain seems to be in a fog today, but I don't want to miss a thing. If I make any typos I will fix them as I see them later.) Escoba Porcupine designed by Edgar Camargo. Escoba means "broom" in Spanish. The name is a playful reference to the porcupine's quills, which resemble the bristles of a broom. Inspired by the porcupine, the sculpture represents protection, boundaries and self-confidence. It reminds us that we can be kind and open while still protecting ourselves when necessary. The sculpture reflects resilience, self-respect and the importance of balancing gentleness with strength.

Alebrijes (pronounced ah-leh-BREE-heh) is a brightly colored, whimsical Mexican folkart sculpture of a fantastical creature. They typically feature a vivid, imaginative combination of different animal parts, such as a jaguar with wings, lizard with horns or a dragon with rabbit ears - all painted with intricate patterns. The word Alebrije has no literal translation or root in the Spanish language. It was completely invented by its creator.

 The artform was invented in the 1930's by Pedro Linares, a papier-mâché (cartonería) artist from Mexico City. During a severe illness Linares fell unconscious and experienced vivid hallucinations of a strange forest. In his dream he saw bizarre hybrid creatures. All of the animals were shouting a single, made-up word, "Alebrijes!" Once he recovered, Linares recreated the strange, chimera-like creatures he saw in his dream using cardboard and paper-mâché. (As mentioned, I found all this information on Google and there is so much more if you care to explore.) If you click on this link it will take you to the garden's website explaining these colorful creatures, along with a slide show of those I didn't take photos of.

Nahuales comes from pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica (and I had to look this up and read: Mesoamerica refers to the historic cultural and geographic region stretching from Central Mexico through northern Central America. The term literally means "middle America" in Greek and defines an area where advanced, interconnected pre-Columbian civilizations - such as the Olmec, Maya and Aztec - flourished before European contact - thank you again Google.)  To continue, Mesoamerican traditions are part of a spiritual world view. A Nahuale (pronounced nah-WAH-leh or nah-GWAH-leh) is understood as an animal spirit connected to a person, often seen as a guide, protector or spiritual counterpart. This concept is rooted in indigenous cosmology and is linked to identity, birth and spiritual practice.

This delightful creature is called the Blue Raccoon, Artist Miriam Salgado. The sign reads: In every detail this piece holds a small expression of love. Blue represents curiosity, adaptability and problem solving. Like the raccoon, it finds ways to adjust and thrive in different environments. The sculpture celebrates creativity, intelligence and exploring new paths.  It is built on a metal frame and painted in bright vivid blue. It is one of the Alebriejes: Creatures of a Dream World exhibit. Four Mexican master artisans are involved: Edgar Camargo Reyes, Alberto Moreno Fernández, Alehandro Camacho Barrera and Perla Miriam Salgado Zamorano. Again, Alebrijes are iconic Mexican spirit animals that typically blend traits from various real and mythical animals.

I didn't get to see all of the sculptures but it's a great excuse to go back and see the rest now that we know they are there.

Above is the Juki Deer by Miriam Salgado - Juki means "deer" in the Totonac language. It represents a free spirit and a connection to nature. The deer is a symbol of gentleness, awareness and peace. This sculpture reflects kindness, intuition and the importance of living in harmony with the natural world. 

Gregg took this last photo above. She is called Gigi the Bear and is also part of the Alebrijes exhibit. She is the fun-loving animal spirit and designed to show the playful, gentle and joyful side of nature. Her bright colors and patterns represent a celebration of life and a lighthearted approach to the world. She serves as a guardian of imagination. She encourages onlookers to look past the physical appearance of a bear and connect with the surreal, dreamlike possibilities of the natural world. Her design not only includes a bear, but also a mouse. While traditional Algebrijes frequently feature aggressive or sharp animal parts - such as a jaguar with dragon wings - artist Alejandro Camacho Barrera took a completely different approach with Gigi. He purposely blended the qualities of two mammals to emphasize vulnerability and playfulness. The Bear base features the prominent body shape, round snout and sturdy stance of a woodland bear. Her exaggerated, large cubic ears and welcoming, wide facial expression mimic the friendly, non-threatening characteristics of a mouse. This specific combination makes her look as if she is reaching out to offer visitors a giant hug. It reinforces her meaning as a gentle guardian of imagination, rather than a fierce protector.

I didn't get to see everything today but I am very happy that we have until Sunday, September 27th, 2026 before it ends. We will be back!

We feel very fortunate that all the places we go to in our area are either free or have a very small fee. The price to get into Lewis Ginter as seniors is $20 per person. Our family are members of a botanical garden in their area and their card was accepted here, so they were able to get in for free. We are going to look into this. Maybe one of the gardens we go to has the same offer. The Butterfly Garden was $5.00 per person (at the time of typing on 7-2-26). Our family very kindly bought our tickets for the Butterfly Garden, and we had a lovely time there. I will share that in another post. I guess what I am getting at is, it can be quite pricy if you are paying for a larger family. However, this garden is considered to be one of the best in the country. It is a truly gorgeous place to walk around.

On July 4th there will be free admission for everyone, but just in case I have misinterpreted that, always best to thoroughly check their website before going. 

The address is 1800 Lakeside Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23228.

Daytime admission between 9.a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Dates and times could change, however, and again, I would highly recommend checking out their website below.

https://www.lewisginter.org/visit/hours-admissions/

(link here if you prefer)

Quite a long one today but I wanted to remember all the details for future look-sees.

Have you been to a favorite botanical garden? I know Debbie of It's All About Purple has been to Longwood many times and it's on our bucket list thanks to her amazing posts and photos. Thanks Debbie!

Lastly here is a map where all the sculptures are located.

And thanks for visiting and 

I hope your day is a great one.