The Akron Zoo unveiled its new mural on Wednesday, June 28. The art piece was designed and painted by local artist, Mac Love of Art x Love. The art displays a dragonfly, which is a symbol of life, change and new beginnings.

The mural is located in the main fountain in the Lehner Family Zoo Gardens, which opened to the public 20 years ago in 2003. The dragonfly is painted in 11 different colors and thousands of shapes to give the appearance of a mosaic-style art piece. The shapes include diamonds, houses, hearts, water lilies, stars, waves and fish. The piece took 100 hours to complete over 10 days.          

“Dragonflies are a crucial pollinator with approx. 164 species native here to Ohio,” said Doug Piekarz, president & CEO at the Akron Zoo. “Our gardens have always held an emphasis on pollinators, with a butterfly maze and caterpillar centerpiece. Now with the addition of the dragonfly mural, we can represent wetland pollinators as well. Mac Love did a fantastic job and we are honored to be able to showcase his work here at the zoo.”

“I had an absolute blast working on this mural,” said Love. “I got to experience the awesome Akron Zoo and staff on a daily basis, and found a tremendous amount of peace and inspiration in the Zoo Gardens. The one thing that I will always remember from this project is the exuberant exclamations from approaching families and campers. The positive impact this mural has had on them brings me a lot of joy, and I think that’s reflected in how others will feel when they see this for themselves.”