Exquisite Creatures Exhibit Seattle: 10,000 Specimens as Art

Thousands of real specimens arranged into patterns you've never seen before

Exquisite Creatures is an art and nature exhibit in Seattle featuring over 10,000 specimens (insects, fish, minerals and plants) presented as large-scale bio-sculptural works by acclaimed artist Christopher Marley. The exhibition uses ethically sourced materials to create vibrant mosaics and geometric patterns that celebrate the colors and forms of the natural world. Children welcome from age 4. The space is fully wheelchair accessible.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Exquisite Creatures Exhibit

• Enter the immersive art exhibit
• View colorful insects and fossils
• Observe sea life and minerals
• Appreciate vibrant mosaics and patterns
• Learn about ethical sourcing and conservation

The experience

Christopher Marley's Exquisite Creatures transforms thousands of real specimens into immersive art installations. Exotic insects, striking minerals, delicate plants and sea life are arranged into intricate mosaics and geometric patterns: each piece designed to shift how you see nature's own design. The over 500 individual works span the full exhibition, and every specimen is ethically sourced, either reclaimed or collected through sustainable methods.

The experience unfolds over roughly an hour to an hour and a half as you move through the gallery. There's no rush. The pacing is yours. Families with children from age 4 onward find plenty to study up close, and the scale of the larger installations rewards stepping back to take in the whole pattern. All areas are wheelchair accessible, and strollers work well for younger children.

This is as much a science exhibit as an art one. Each arrangement invites you to notice details (the iridescence of a beetle's shell, the geometry of a starfish, the color gradations across a mineral collection) that you'd miss in a traditional natural history display. The work asks you to see biodiversity not as specimens in cases, but as raw material for visual wonder.

What’s included

• Admission to the full Exquisite Creatures exhibition with access to all 500+ artworks and 10,000+ specimens.
• all taxes and fees included in the ticket price.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day35 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 18:30

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (13 to 64 years) · Senior (65 and older) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Under 4: can't be booked

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Exquisite Creatures Exhibit

Is this one for you?Bring the family or go solo if you want to spend an hour seeing nature arranged as art rather than catalogued as science: the scale and detail reward both a quick walk and a slow study of individual pieces.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 12 years). Children under 4 can't be included in the booking.

How long does it take to see the whole Exquisite Creatures exhibit?

Most visitors spend one to one and a half hours moving through the exhibition, though you can take longer if you want to study individual pieces closely.

Are the specimens in the exhibit real?

Yes. The exhibition contains over 10,000 real specimens (insects, fish, minerals, plants and fossils) all ethically sourced through reclamation or sustainable collection methods.

Is the exhibit wheelchair accessible?

Yes. All areas and surfaces throughout the exhibition are wheelchair accessible, and service animals are allowed.

What makes Christopher Marley's approach different from a typical natural history museum?

Rather than displaying specimens in labeled cases, Marley arranges thousands of them into large-scale bio-sculptural artworks: vibrant mosaics and geometric patterns that celebrate the colors and forms found in nature itself.

Is parking or public transit available?

Public transportation options are available nearby the exhibit location.