The Gail Borden Library in Elgin hopes you’ll fall head over heels for its “Olmec Origins” exhibit, which opened Wednesday.
The exhibit, which features 33 fiberglass reproductions of the mysterious Olmec heads, will run on both floors of the library at 270 N. Grove Ave. until mid-January 2025.
The Olmecs were one of the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilizations, based south of the Gulf of Mexico, from Veracruz to Tabasco, and laid the foundation for the Mexican cultures that followed.
The original Olmec heads were stone representations dating from 1400-400 B.C., some as tall as 10 feet high and weighing as much as 25 tons.
The heads at the library are each just over 5 feet tall and vividly decorated to represent the cultures of the artists who painted them.
The exhibit is produced in partnership with the Mexican Cultural Center of DuPage in West Chicago. Last year, the organization worked with the library for the “Alebrijes, Creatures of a Dream World” exhibit.
This summer, the heads were located at various locations throughout DuPage County.
Fernando Ramirez, president of the MCC and the man who conceived of the project, said the library exhibit is the first time he has had a chance to see them all in one place.
“I could never even store these all together,” he said. “I’m so happy to get a chance to see them.”
The library will host a talk with Olmec head artist Liz Gonzalez on Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m. Gonzalez will speak about how dual upbringing in U.S. and Mexican cultures have deeply influenced her work.
The library also started an Olmec scavenger hunt Wednesday, with painted mini Olmec heads at sponsors’ locations throughout the Elgin area. Scan QR codes on each mini head to decode a message and win an Olmec Frisbee while supplies last. Visit gailborden.info/olmec#scavengerhunt.
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