Akron Zoo Memorial
In 2024, Art x Love was engaged to explore and develop a memorial art piece for caretakers of animals that had passed on at the Akron Zoo. We evaluated potential areas for installation and considered a range of memorial types. In the end, we aligned with the Akron Zoo’s caretakers and leadership team on a custom-designed memorial wind chime to be installed as part of reflective area in the Lehner Family Gardens.
We researched a range of wind chimes, evaluating each based on size, materials, sound, and feel. Once we identified our preferred combination, we contacted a manufacturer in Malaysia who helped us secure the raw materials for our wind chime. The items were shipped to Akron and arrived in the summer of 2025. Upon receipt, Mac prepped and painted each wind chime with a 2-color scheme inspired by natural biomes from around the world with silhouettes of dozens of animals from those environments.
Yellow = Desert + Chaparral
Green = Forest + Rainforest + Taiga
Dark Green = Grassland + Wetland
Blue = Aquatic + Marine
Purple = Mountain + Tundra
Pink = Love + Affection
Mac presented the completed wind chime to the Akron Zoo staff and caretakers in October, 2025. The memorial wind chime will be installed in the tree above the Don Drumm butterfly bench on the north-facing side of the Lehner Family Gardens. As part of this initiative, the Akron Zoo also installed a memorial plaque with a powerful quote from the Paul Oxton, Founder of the Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation, which reads:
“Of all the special things we choose to do for our planet, let one of them to be of service to animals.”
We hope this space brings peace to all who visit it, compassion for all who serve the animals, and inspires reflection on what each of us can do to help our planet and all who depend on it.
