“They’re all really accomplished, amazing artists who have incredible portfolios, but they’ve never done it on a 120- to 150-pound pumpkin,” Reckner said. With about half of them brand new to pumpkin art, Reckner said it has been amusing to watch these artists transfer their artistic abilities onto a unique canvas. This year, nearly 25 artists based in Minnesota work in a Minnesota Zoo equipment building emptied out to function as an art studio. With more than 125 intricately carved pumpkins and over 5,000 jack-o’-lanterns sprawled along the trail and in the trees, this means the artists go through tens of thousands of pumpkins in just over a month’s time. New pumpkins need to be carved to replace pumpkins every few days that have been affected by rot, weather and animal interference. Previous themes at the zoo include “A Walk through Time” and “Around the World.”Įvery year, a group of local Minnesota artists works for Passion for Pumpkins to create the pumpkin art. “Passion for Pumpkins has been fantastic in working with us to really make sure that what they’re producing is not just art, but it’s art that has a connection to the Minnesota Zoo mission.” “We want to make sure that the pumpkins that are being carved really have some tie back to conservation efforts that the Minnesota Zoo is a part of,” Nugent said. Nugent said the event’s theme regularly looks to highlight the zoo’s conservation efforts and appreciation for nature. One of the most important letters promoted in the event is “C” - for conservation. Other categories include vampires, pop culture, Halloween and dinosaurs. A stands for “Alice in Wonderland,” B stands for “the birds and the bees” and so on. This year’s theme is “Pumpkins: A to Z.” For this theme, more than 125 carved pumpkins are categorized by a letter in the alphabet. The theme for the Jack-O’-Lantern Spectacular changes every year. The event was able to run in 20 but was halted in fall 2020 due to the pandemic. “So we wanted to find an event that encourages people to get outdoors to connect with nature and to connect with the Minnesota Zoo.” “We didn’t see a lot of people coming to visit (in October),” Nugent said. Zach Nugent, communication and media relations specialist for the Minnesota Zoo, said partnering with Passion for Pumpkins was ideal, given the zoo’s hopes to welcome guests through the fall. Currently, Passion for Pumpkins works with events in Providence, R.I., and Louisville, Ky., in addition to the one in Minnesota. Passion for Pumpkins is a pumpkin-carving organization that produces pumpkin art for events around the country. Making the event what it is today came through the growing relationship between the zoo and Passion for Pumpkins. The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, which runs through Nov. The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is back at the Minnesota Zoo, with more than 5,000 carved, lighted pumpkins on a quarter-mile outdoor trail.
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