Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids: Mythic Creatures is a collaboration between COSI in Columbus, Ohio and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. And local artist Joe Leonard, a custom wood carver in Garrettsville, has two pieces — a Pegasus and a griffin — prominently featured.
Both pieces originally went on tour in 2007 as part of a similar exhibit that began at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The exhibit, which traces the culture and roots of mythical creatures, has been on display at the Field Museum in Chicago, and then traveled around the world. It has recently been retooled and will once again travel the world, giving dreamers of all ages the opportunity to see creatures from the sea, the land, and the sky and the impossibly real animals who inspired them. It is currently on display at COSI in Columbus, Ohio.
The 9-by-8 1/2 foot Pegasus, or winged horse, along with the 6 1/2 foot griffin, a half-lion, half-eagle creature ended up in the initial exhibit through a bit of luck, according to Leonard. He shared that exhibit organizers saw his griffin in a book that featured woodcarvings. When they asked him if he had it or any similar carving available for the exhibit, he asked if they might be interested in his Pegasus. They weren’t, that is, until they saw the Pegasus on Leonard’s Web site (www.joeleonard.com). Once they saw the piece online, they quickly included it in the exhibit.
“This exhibition combines mythical lore with scientific undercurrents, tracing the origins of these popular and fascinating fictional creatures and exploring the often factual inspiration behind them,” said Dr. Frederic Bertley, COSI president and CEO.
“Through large scale models, real fossils and beautiful artwork, people of all ages will start to understand the intriguing stories behind these mythic creatures and their role throughout history in many cultures.”
Leonard shared that the Pegasus is the most exotic and probably the largest individual creature he has designed and carved. The wings alone are over six feet tall. He noted that Pegasus is painted in enamels with 14-karat gold leaf on the armor. And although the unassuming artist creates fantastic creatures at his humble shop in Garrettsville, he’s no stranger to worldwide attention. He designed and with his team, hand carved 17 large armored carousel horses for Disneyland Paris, which opened in France in 1992. The horses are approximately seven feet long by six-and-a-half feet tall and weight roughly 250 pounds each.
Although Pegasus and griffin are currently traveling, you can still visit some of Leonard’s other work, including intricately carved carousel horses and a menagerie of other creatures at the gallery near his workshop, located at 12157 State Route 88. The J. Leonard Gallery & Vintage Emporium opened over three and a half years ago, after the first exhibition ended, and the pieces returned home in large wooden crates. “Millions of people around the world have seen these things, and we’ve got them stored in crates in the back,” Leonard and his life partner and fellow artist Liz Eustace mused. “We’re artists, we know artists — lets start a gallery!”
The J. Leonard Gallery features Leonard’s work in basswood, walnut, and mahogany, as well as Eustace’s jewelry and pet portraits. They also feature paintings, blown glass, photography, pottery — the work of over thirty artists, as well as an assortment of vintage items. The gallery is open Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 am until 5 pm, or by appointment. For more information, call (330) 527-2307 or (330) 527-3222.
The exhibition, “Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids: Mythic Creatures” was organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, in collaboration with Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney; Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau-Ottawa; Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta; and The Field Museum, Chicago. The exhibition, including Joe Leonard’s Armored Pegasus and griffin, is on display at COSI in Columbus through September 2nd, 2019. For more information, visit www.cosi.org.
