Artifact of the Month: Turtle Maquettes

We are excited to share these beautiful, green, glistening maquettes in honor of the Museum’s 20th Anniversary! Much has changed at Turtle Bay Exploration Park since these very first Public Artworks were commissioned!

Created by Troy Corliss for the opening of the Visitor Center in 2000, these maquettes, or models, are small versions of larger sculptures that now reside at the West Entrance of the Botanical Gardens and are simply and officially designated “The Turtle Sculpture”. Troy was commissioned by what was then called “Turtle Bay Museums and Arboretum on the River” to design a turtle sculpture to greet guests. 

Once complete, the sculptures were installed at the Visitor Center, which used to be where the Mosaic Restaurant is today. Back then, guests would check into the newly re-branded Turtle Bay Exploration Park at the Visitor Center and from there, make their way to Paul Bunyan’s Forest Camp or, after June 2002, across the Boardwalk to the Museum. In May 2015, the Turtles were removed from their original location to make room for the new Mosaic Restaurant and the Sheraton Hotel. With the artist’s permission the sculptures were moved to their current location at the Gardens West Entrance and then cleaned, stained, and resealed.

Why don’t these models look like the final sculptures in the Gardens? The maquettes were a concept in the design stage. After deliberation, the artist and the Curator of Art decided to make the turtles look less realistic and more conceptual. Also, the new sandy color worked better with the Visitor Center palette. Where is maquette number five? It lives with the Education Department and is used for programs. 

Come visit the Museum to celebrate its 20th Anniversary! Check out the Artifact of the Month and photographs from Turtle Bay’s Archive.