NEWS RELEASE Art Bridges’ “Exquisite Creatures” opens for Midwest Premiere at Peoria Riverfront Museum, February 28, 2026
Exquisite Creatures, on its Midwest premiere, February 28, 2026 - August 9, 2026, at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, is the first-ever exhibition to leverage the museum’s multidisciplinary nature through its partnership with Art Bridges.
PEORIA, Ill., February 27, 2026—The first-ever exhibition to leverage the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s multidisciplinary nature through its partnership with Art Bridges, Exquisite Creatures, opens for its Midwest premiere on Saturday, February 28, 2026, bringing together works that showcase a perfect blend of art and science.
“The Peoria Riverfront Museum is proud to host the Midwest premiere of the mind-blowing art and science exhibition, Exquisite Creatures, on national tour, thanks to our partnerships with Alice Walton’s Art Bridges Foundation. The exhibition features the world’s greatest artist of his kind, Christopher Marley,” said John D. Morris, president and CEO of the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
“Exquisite Creatures artist Christopher Marley uses ethically sourced wildlife specimens and minerals, arranged to offer a new perspective through the colors of the natural world. Reptiles, fish, birds, insects, crustaceans, other animals, flowers, and minerals of every color imaginable are featured,” said Renae Kerrigan, curator of science and planetarium director at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
Throughout Exquisite Creatures, artist and naturalist Christopher Marley reflects on humanity’s 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, these works create an immersive environment that inspires wonder and fosters a desire to preserve the natural world.
Using organisms and elements as his medium, Marley explores our need to connect with the natural world on a personal level, inspiring biophilia – a love of life. The exhibition immerses visitors in a world where order, diversity, symmetry, and balance come to life in vibrant, awe-inspiring displays.
CHRISTOPHER MARLEY
American artist Christopher Marley is a 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.
Marley’s work was born of a desire to share nature’s majesty in a way that inspires both the urbane and the nature aficionado alike. He 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 collected or bred in an environmentally sensitive manner, through a worldwide network of people and institutions that share his passion for nature.
Exquisite Creatures opens this weekend, Saturday, February 28, 2026 - August 9, 2026.
Generous support for Exquisite Creatures is provided by the Art Bridges Foundation.
With additional support from America 250 Donors, Mike Rucker Endowment Fund for Science, Visionary Society, and Illinois Arts Council.
Curated by Christopher Marley. Organized by Art Bridges.
The Exquisite Creatures exhibition is part of the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s America 250 celebration, led by The Promise of Liberty, guest curated by Ken Burns.
For more information about the exhibitions, visit the museum’s website at peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.
About Peoria Riverfront Museum
The Peoria Riverfront Museum is the only multidisciplinary institution of its kind in the nation, combining art, science, history, and achievement. The museum is dedicated to using its collections, exhibitions, giant screen theater, dome planetarium, and programming to tell the stories that build confidence, spark life-long learning, and unleash the full talent and genius of every individual. Learn more at riverfrontmuseum.org.
Contact Melody Konrad, Peoria Riverfront Museum assistant director of marketing and communications at MKonrad@peoriariverfrontmuseum.org
