A Delightful Way to be Introduced to Endangered Species

By Naomi Yaeger
UMC Earthkeeper

Children running around outdoors, chasing frogs. That’s what I call a happy childhood – time spent outside examining frogs, or hearing birds or running on the beach. Did you ever find a turtle or a frog as a child? Do you think your great - grandchildren will be chasing the same species of turtles or frogs?

Painting by Adam Swanson

On a rainy afternoon my husband and I went to the Great Lakes Aquarium to see an exhibit by Duluth artist Adam Swanson. This exhibit  focuses on some of the 45 endangered species in Minnesota. His whimsical paintings are broad, colorful, acrylic brushstrokes on plywood. The exhibit, “The Mirrors,” includes 14 painting about some of the more than 45 state and federally listed endangered and threatened animals of Minnesota. 

Adam said in an email, “I tried to create colorful, engaging snapshots of our unsung neighbors. Animals who have existed in our region for millions of years.”

If just viewing “The Mirrors,” the exhibit is free to the public. Each work is titled and some information given. Examining one painting, I wondered why the woman was wearing a turtle like a backpack and if Adam intended the turtle to look like a backpack. In another painting, I questioned if the lynx saw the boy at the campfire and if the boy was aware of him. “Would a lynx harm a child?” In an audio recording, Adam says that according to National Geographic there are no known cases of a lynx harming a human.

Viewing this exhibit, I learned more about endangered species. This exhibit will be up at the Great Lakes Aquarium until the end of August. A reception will be scheduled.

I learned a lot via the aquarium’s website, which has photos of some paintings and audio to describe the paintings along with a few words from Adam. Visit https://glaquarium.org/the-mirrors/selected-works-fromthe-mirror/ to learn more and hear Adam’s voice.

A outdoor patio reception is scheduled for July 28, 6-8 p.m.