A fantastical menagerie of sculptures has arrived on an island in the Mississippi River for the summer. 

You can now view "Alebrijes: Keepers of the Island" on Raspberry Island in St. Paul, located between downtown and Harriet Island. The public art exhibit features 16 alebrijes, colorfully painted imaginary animal sculptures up to 16 feet tall.

Alebrijes are a Mexican folk art form first created by Pedro Linares. You can read more about the origin of this tradition via the Minnesota Latino Museum, sponsor of the project. Four artists from Mexico City created the sculptures installed in St. Paul: Perla Miriam Salgado Zamorano, Alejandro Camacho Barrera, Edgar Israel Camargo Reyes and Alberto Moreno Fernández. These artists have residencies in Minnesota to work on their alebrijes and lead community art programs.

Mississippi River connections

The exhibit's location on an island in the Mississippi River is no accident. The project's director, Aaron Johnson-Ortiz, is passionate about highlighting the Latino community's connection to the Mississippi River.

The first Latino neighborhood in Minnesota was on the banks of the Mississippi River: St. Paul's West Side Flats. Early on, the Latino community held celebrations like Cinco de Mayo on the riverfront at Harriet Island and continues to do so. The West Side is the only Latino-focused cultural district in Minnesota. These are some of the reasons the Minnesota Latino Museum plans to build a permanent home next to Harriet Island, near Friends of the Mississippi River's current office, and why they wanted to host the alebrijes on Raspberry Island.

Beyond the Twin Cities, the Mississippi River connects Minnesota and the Gulf of Mexico. Johnson-Ortiz notes that the "three sisters" crops (corn, beans and squash) made their way up the Mississippi River from Central America long before large numbers of Latinos settled here permanently. 

One of the artists, Edgar Israel Camargo Reyes, told MPR News, "Coming here to St. Paul, and being on the island, being in the middle of nature, in the middle of the Mississippi River, it's hard to put into words. It's a dream come true."

Today, "Alebrijes: Keepers of the Island" is a joyful celebration of the enduring ties between the United States and Mexico. FMR is proud to help welcome this art installation to the Mississippi riverfront. We've assisted with special events like a recent family festival, and we're excited to take the artists paddling on the river to view their sculptures from the water.

The installation is free and open daily on Raspberry Island from dawn to 11 p.m. through Oct. 26, 2025.