Umi sculpture by Daniel Popper, Aurora, Colorado, USA
Umi
Daniel Popper · “UMI” (Umi), 2021, rebuilt 2023 · Shown 2021–2023 at the Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois; since 19 August 2023 in Hogan Park at Highlands Creek, The Aurora Highlands, Aurora, Colorado
Photo as published on Street Art Utopia in June 2021, taken at the Morton Arboretum; photographer not known. A dated Arboretum photo from 22 July 2022 is in the Morton Arboretum archive
A giant woman made of twisting roots cradles her belly above a dome you can walk into. South African artist Daniel Popper built “UMI” for the Human+Nature exhibition at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, which opened in May 2021 and closed in early 2023. The sculpture was then taken apart, shipped to Colorado and rebuilt, and since 19 August 2023 it has stood in Hogan Park at The Aurora Highlands in Aurora.
5 things to know
- One sculpture, two homesUMI was one of five sculptures Popper made for Human+Nature, his first major exhibition in the United States. In Lisle it stood among the magnolias on the Arboretum’s East Side. In 2023 it was “deconstructed and shipped from Illinois to Colorado, where she was rebuilt”, Denver7 reported. Morton Arboretum · Denver7
- A second chance to fix itPopper told Denver7 that after the Illinois install he thought, “I wish I had more time to fix that.” The rebuild in Aurora let him refine it and “fix the proportions”; the developer’s publicist said the changes went down to the face and hands. Denver7
- Three meanings for one nameThe developer’s 2023 press release says Umi means “ocean” in Japanese. Popper’s own website says the name comes from “the Arabic word for ‘mother’”, and KDVR quotes his Instagram as saying it also means “life” in Swahili. The Aurora Highlands · Daniel Popper · KDVR
- Concrete that looks like woodThe bark-like surface is glass fiber reinforced concrete over a steel frame. The developer’s fact sheet gives the weight as 16,755 pounds. The Aurora Highlands · Denver7 · Daniel Popper
- She blinks at nightIn Aurora, UMI became the center of an art park built on a flood plain. In the evenings, projection mapping makes her “appear to blink and move”, and the developer listed a free evening concert there for 29 August 2026. Denver Gazette · The Aurora Highlands
Check-in guide
- 📍
- Now: Hogan Park at Highlands Creek, the public art park of The Aurora Highlands, Aurora, Colorado; the developer’s event page puts its map pin at 39.76753, -104.69738 (The Aurora Highlands). The park is free for residents and visitors (Out There Colorado).
- 🧭
- The park has about two miles of walking trails; Ferreira calls Umi “right in the middle of the art park” (The Aurora Highlands, Denver Gazette).
- 🌙
- After dark, a projection show plays on the sculpture; the developer’s July 2026 listing gives sunset to 11 pm (The Aurora Highlands).
- 🌳
- Before: 2021 to early 2023 in the Magnolia Collection on the East Side of The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois. It is no longer there (Morton Arboretum, Denver7).
- 👀
- Newest dated evidence is from June and July 2026: local news and a developer event page, not a dated photo. Check before you travel.
Sightings
- 202120 May
Arboretum announces UMI
- 202120 May
Opening announced
- 202222 Jul
Arboretum photo, Lisle
- 202215 Dec
Closing announced
- 202330 Jan
Winter photo, Lisle
- 202319 Aug
Unveiled in Aurora
- 202418 Oct
Denver Post photo, Aurora
- 202512 Nov
Denver Gazette visit
- 202612 Jun
Named in local news
- 20268 Jul
Concert at Umi listed
Every stamp links to the dated source. Green stamps are dated photos of the sculpture: two from the Morton Arboretum’s own archive in Lisle and one by The Denver Post in Aurora. Amber stamps are news and announcements about the work. The 2024 photo is credited in the developer’s repost of the Denver Post article.
On the record
Meet Umi, the ‘powerful’ sculpture by a world-famous artist that now sits in a suburban Colorado field
“Umi was deconstructed and shipped from Illinois to Colorado, where she was rebuilt – a move that allowed Popper to fine-tune the sculpture for its permanent home.”
The station also says the Human+Nature exhibition “ran from May of 2021 to February of this year”.
Human+Nature press release
“UMI, a 20.5-foot tall majestic maternal figure surrounded by magnolia trees. (East Side)”
The release says the five sculptures were “created exclusively for the Arboretum” and would stay “for at least one year”.
The Morton Arboretum announces new art exhibition opening May 2023
“The Arboretum’s current exhibition, Human+Nature, will officially close at the end of February 2023, while some of the eight sculptures by artist Daniel Popper will still be on view into March.”
It added that the sculptures “may be exhibited elsewhere by Popper”.
An open-air art gallery: Hogan Park at Highlands Creek
“She’s at the heart of the community, right in the middle of the art park. So when I tell people to meet me, I always say, ‘Meet me at ‘Umi.” It really is the center point.”
Carla Ferreira, who curates the art at The Aurora Highlands.
The facts
- Artist
- Daniel Popper, a multidisciplinary artist from Cape Town, South Africa (Morton Arboretum, The Aurora Highlands, artist’s website) Checked
- Title
- “UMI” in the Arboretum’s 2021 release; “Umi” in Aurora and on the artist’s website Checked
- Made for
- Human+Nature at The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois: five sculptures “created exclusively for the Arboretum”; UMI stood in the Magnolia Collection on the East Side (Morton Arboretum) Checked
- In Lisle
- Exhibition opened 28 May 2021, after a delay from 9 April (Patch); it officially closed at the end of February 2023, with some works on view into March (Morton Arboretum). Arboretum photos of UMI are dated 22 July 2022 and 30 January 2023 (ACORN, ACORN) Checked
- Moved
- Taken apart, shipped to Colorado and rebuilt, with changes to its proportions (Denver7, KDVR). Exact dates of the move are not reported Reported
- In Aurora
- Unveiled on 19 August 2023 in Hogan Park at Highlands Creek, the public art park of The Aurora Highlands, as a permanent work (The Aurora Highlands, KDVR, Out There Colorado). A 2025 Denver Gazette article says it “went up in late 2023” (Denver Gazette) Checked
- Height
- 20.5 feet (Morton Arboretum, 2021); 20 feet (Denver7, 2023); 21 feet (The Aurora Highlands, the artist’s website, Denver Gazette) Conflicting
- Name
- “Ocean” in Japanese (Aurora Highlands release, 2023); from the Arabic word for “mother” (artist’s website, Denver7); “life” in Swahili and “mother” in Arabic (KDVR, citing Popper’s Instagram) Conflicting
- Materials
- Steel and glass fiber reinforced concrete (fact sheet, Denver7); the artist’s website also lists fiberglass, wood and natural fibers (Daniel Popper) Checked
- Weight
- 16,755 pounds, per the developer’s fact sheet (The Aurora Highlands) Reported
- Address
- Hogan Park at Highlands Creek, The Aurora Highlands, Aurora, Colorado; the developer’s event page pins Umi at 39.76753, -104.69738 (The Aurora Highlands) Checked
- Photo
- Our photo shows UMI on green grass at the Morton Arboretum and was first published on Street Art Utopia on 9 June 2021. Its photographer and exact date are not known Unconfirmed
- Status
- Standing in Aurora. Newest dated evidence: Sentinel Colorado, 12 June 2026, and the developer’s concert page at Umi, published 8 July 2026 and modified 28 August 2026, which lists a free concert and projection show at Umi on 29 August 2026. We found no dated 2026 photo Reported
Related
- On Street Art Utopia: When Nature Becomes Art (10 Photos vol. 5) (5 October 2026), where the photo above appeared as work no. 1.
- On Street Art Utopia: “UMI” Sculpture by Daniel Popper in Lisle, Illinois (9 June 2021), where the photo first appeared.
- Popper’s other Human+Nature sculptures, including Hallow, Sentient, Heartwood and Basilica. Morton Arboretum
- The artist’s page for the work. danielpopper.com
All sources (20)
In Lisle
- The Morton Arboretum: “Human+Nature” press release, 20 May 2021. Five sculptures, opening 28 May, UMI 20.5 feet in the Magnolia Collection, East Side; materials; sponsor.
- Patch: “Opening Announced For Human+Nature At Morton Arboretum”, 20 May 2021, Lisa Marie Farver. Opening 28 May after delays; UMI in a magnolia grove.
- Colossal: “Five Towering Figures by Artist Daniel Popper Loom Over The Morton Arboretum”, 27 May 2021. Photos credited to the Arboretum; UMI, 20.5 feet.
- My Modern Met: “Giant Wooden Figures Emerge in Nature at The Morton Arboretum”, 7 June 2021. UMI as a maternal figure; name from an Arabic word for “mother”.
- Morton Arboretum ACORN archive: “Human+Nature exhibition, Umi, sculpture by Daniel Popper”, Photo by John Weinstein, created 22 July 2022.
- The Morton Arboretum: “The Morton Arboretum announces new art exhibition opening May 2023”, 15 December 2022. Human+Nature to close at the end of February 2023.
- Morton Arboretum ACORN archive: “Human+Nature exhibition, Umi … in the winter”, Photo by John Weinstein, created 30 January 2023.
The move and Aurora
- The Aurora Highlands: “Internationally Renowned Artist Daniel Popper Installs His First Sculpture in Colorado…”, 3 August 2023, developer’s press release and fact sheet. Permanent place, 21 feet, 16,755 pounds, materials, “ocean” meaning, artist statement.
- KDVR FOX31: “Learn more about the 2-story sculpture new to Aurora Highlands”, 21 August 2023, Maddie Rhodes. Unveiled Saturday; came from the Morton Arboretum exhibition; name meanings.
- Out There Colorado (The Gazette): “Massive 21-foot-tall sculpture of ‘ancestral goddess’ unveiled in Colorado”, 24 August 2023, Spencer McKee. Unveiled 19 August; Google Maps pin.
- The Aurora Highlands: “Meet Umi: The Newest Art Installation at Hogan Park…”, 26 August 2023. Installed on 19 August.
- Denver7: “Meet Umi, the ‘powerful’ sculpture by a world-famous artist that now sits in a suburban Colorado field”, 22 September 2023, Landon Haaf. Made for Human+Nature (May 2021 to February 2023), taken apart and rebuilt in Aurora, 20 feet, materials, Arabic meaning.
- Daniel Popper: “UMI”, Artist’s website, updated 28 August 2024. Aurora, Colorado, 2023; 21 feet; materials; Arabic meaning.
- The Denver Post via The Aurora Highlands: “A world-class art park takes shape in Aurora…”, Developer’s repost dated 25 October 2024 of a Denver Post article; photo of Umi taken 18 October 2024 by Andy Cross/The Denver Post.
- Daniel Popper: “Gaia’s Spirit in UMI”, Artist’s blog, 18 November 2024. UMI “stands tall” at the Aurora Highlands.
- Denver Gazette: “‘Liberty’ statue stands 58 feet tall above Aurora…”, 13 May 2025, Kyla Pearce. Umi on the Hogan Park walk; “went up in late 2023”.
- Denver Gazette: “An open-air art gallery: Hogan Park at Highlands Creek”, 12 November 2025. 21 feet, fiberglass-reinforced concrete, evening projection mapping, Ferreira quote.
- The Aurora Highlands: “Ethereal Bliss” installation news, 31 March 2026. Names Umi among the park’s highlights.
- Sentinel Colorado: “Aurora Highlands launches art-centric Market in the Park festival series Saturday”, 12 June 2026. Names Popper’s “Umi” among the installations on view.
- The Aurora Highlands: “Concert at the Park”, Event page published 8 July 2026. Concert and projection show at Umi on 29 August 2026 (page modified 28 August 2026); map pin 39.76753, -104.69738.
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