Open February 27, 2026 - August 9, 2026
Join us at the Peoria Riverfront Museum in the first ever exhibition to leverage our multi-disciplinary nature with our partnership to Crystal Bridges, bringing together an exhibition that displays the perfect marriage of art and science in Exquisite Creatures.
Throughout this exhibition, artist and naturalist Christopher Marley reflects on humanity’s intimate relationship with nature, revealing its intricate beauty and diversity through three-dimensional works comprised of animal, mineral and plant specimens arranged in precise, geometric compositions. Shown together, the works create an immersive environment which inspires wonder, and fosters a desire to preserve the natural world.
Using organisms and elements as his medium, artist Christopher Marley explores our need to connect with the natural world on a personal level, inspiring biophilia — a love of life. Immerse yourself in a world where order, diversity, symmetry, and balance come to life in vibrant, awe-inspiring displays.
All vertebrates used in this artwork are reclaimed, meaning they passed of natural or incidental causes, most often in captivity. None were killed for this purpose.
About the Artist
Christopher Marley is an artist, naturalist, photographer, and author who uses preserved natural specimens as his medium. He grew up in the Pacific Northwest, immersed in nature from his earliest memories. During a decade spent traveling the world as a fashion model, Marley’s passion for discovering unfamiliar elements in the natural world became an obsession.
His work was born of a desire to share nature’s majesty in a way that inspires both the urbane and the nature aficionado equally. Marley believes that in the proper light, beauty is found in every organism and that the deeper our appreciation for the aesthetics of nature, the more eager we are to immerse ourselves in it and conserve it.
All of the vertebrates that Marley uses in his work are reclaimed after dying of natural or incidental causes. He has innovated techniques for a host of organisms that are not typically considered good candidates for preservation. He also utilizes insects that are collected or bred in an environmentally sensitive manner using a worldwide network of people and institutions that share his passion for nature.
Generous support provided by the Art Bridges Foundation
Sponsored by America 250 Donors, Visionary Society
Curated by Christopher Marley
