Imagine hiking through the thick forests of central Africa and suddenly coming face to face with a full-grown lowland gorilla. The largest males can get up to six feet tall and 400 pounds. A fully erect gorilla can be a very imposing sight. Daisy Youngblood's Standing Gorilla, 2002 reminds us of the power of nature and also its fragility. Lowland gorillas are endangered and are losing habitat each day due to man's intrusion into their forests. Youngblood's gorilla's powerful form and delicate featuresare at once a warning and a plea.

For a map of the art exhibits, please click here.

About the Artist

Daisy Youngblood was a 2003 recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" grant. Her ceramic and bronze sculptures of animals are in many museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art.

Youngblood feels that she must capture the spirit of the animal or person she is portraying and not just the physical likeness. She is only finished with her subject when there has been some essential transference to the clay, and later bronze.