New Cantigny Octopus Alebrijes Seeks a Name

The 49th alebrijes, a spectacular 15 foot high octopus sculpture, is the final creation and crowning achievement by the six artists featured in “Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World” at Cantigny Park through Oct. 30, 2022.

The octopus is the culmination of the dream of the six artists from Mexico City who created the other 48 works specifically for this exhibition. It took the combined efforts of six artists to complete the octopus on time. They were aided with scores of community volunteers who helped to paper mache and paint.

The octopus is now done but lacks one very important detail...a name!

Many of the other 48 alebrijes in the exhibition take their names from Spanish or indigenous languages. The public is invited to visit https://bit.ly/3OStNYE and choose one of the options provided or suggest another name. Voting and suggestions are welcome through Monday, July 18.

“Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World” is at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Rd., Wheaton, Ill., through Oct. 30, 2022. Admission is included with Cantigny’s regular parking fee ($5 per car on weekdays; $10 weekends). Parking is free on the first Wednesday of the month. The park is open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset. For more information, visit Cantigny.org/Alebrijes.

“Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World” is made possible through a partnership of Cantigny Park, the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau, Mexican Cultural Center DuPage, and the City of West Chicago. Cantigny Park is located in DuPage County, known as an outdoor oasis with robust arts and culture. “Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World” is an example of the one-of-a-kind experiences found only in DuPage. For ideas on pairing a trip to Cantigny with other DuPage destinations, visit “DuPage Road Trip - Where Nature Meets Art” at DiscoverDuPage.com.