LA JOLLA — Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego opens its newest exhibit today, “The Axolotl’s Garden/El Jardín del Ajolote,” featuring the Mexican salamander.
The exhibit, which kicks off Oct. 23, introduces guests to the world of the endangered axolotl through animal encounters, contemporary art and conservation science inspired by Mexico’s ecological and cultural richness, according to an aquarium statement.
“Axolotls are everywhere — you can buy an Axolotl plushie in the potato chip aisle, and your kid probably has an Axolotl notebook,” said Megan Dickerson, the aquarium’s director of exhibits. “Fewer people know that the name Axolotl comes from an Aztec god, and that Axolotls are on the brink of extinction in the only home they’ve ever known: Mexico City’s Lake Xochimilco. Our project goes beyond the hype to connect the public with the real Mexican people who are using ancestral knowledge and current science to restore Axolotl habitats.”
Guests entering the exhibit will walk beneath a canopy of giant cloth monarch butterflies, representing their journey across North America, before seeing artist Itzel Islas’ illustration of Lake Xochimilco and hand-painted graphic signage about Xochimilco created by Oscar Ríos and David Mondragon.
Overhead, paper lanterns take the form of dozens of axolotls, handcrafted by the Birch Aquarium exhibits team and showcasing the range of axolotl colors, from golden and pink to brown and mottled gray, according to the aquarium.
At the center of the exhibit are two axolotl habitats, along with other Mexican species, including tequila splitfins and blind cave tetras.
“This project taps into a powerful local ecosystem of San Diego-Tijuana artists who are using their skills to have an impact on public awareness of the global biodiversity crisis,” Dickerson said. “Through next spring, we are hopeful that this ‘garden’ of exhibits and programs can be as regenerative as the Axolotl itself, turning public love of this amazing creature into inspired action for endangered species everywhere.”
The opening marks the beginning of six months of axolotl-inspired programming. Artist Maricruz Alvarado will create two ofrendas, or altars, for Día de Muertos de las Mascotas (Day of the Dead for Pets) on Oct. 27. Guests can share the names of pets they have loved and lost to add to a community altar, while a second altar will honor endangered species, including the mountain yellow-legged frog, vaquita, loggerhead sea turtle and axolotl.
According to the aquarium, Alvarado will create alebrijes — traditional, colorful folk-art sculptures typically depicting fantastical hybrid animals — for the second ofrenda.
The series will conclude next spring with a new theatrical work by Iyari Arteaga, which moves between English and Spanish and “explores themes of culture, Axolotl conservation and the stories we carry and protect.”
The play will be performed by UC San Diego students.
