Artistic Fabrication and Design

Blue Rhino Studio specializes in interpretive design and artistic fabrication for museum, visitor center, and zoological environments. Over the last 15 years, Blue Rhino has become a leader for artistic quality and value in our industry. Our 16,000 square foot facility in Eagan, Minnesota is home to a tightly-knit creative team of skilled artists and craftsmen. We work in a wide range of styles, producing two or three-dimensional pieces on any detail level, and diverse exhibits that include sculpture, mural, carpentry and metal work with our full-time in-house staff.

• Clients
• Testamonials
• Careers

Projects

• The Field Museum: "Mammoths and Mastadons"
• Panama Biomuseo: "Worlds Collide"
• Indiana Dunes State Park
• Roanoke Island Park

Services

• Design
• dioramas
• immersive environments
• sculpture & model making
• mural painting & illustration
• construction services

Design

Blue Rhino can assist with all phases of a project, from design through fabrication. Our artists specialize in creating new experiences and our goal is always to simplify and streamline the collaborative process. Our designers work with clients to provide guidance, help inspire initial exhibit concepts, and furnish everything from concept illustrations through finished interpretive plans, layouts and designs, including CAD and shop drawings. Since our designers are also fabrication artists, they understand materials and processes used for fabrication, so that we can best design to our strengths. This allows us to anticipate issues in fabrication and engineer solutions in advance, resulting in a project that arrives on time and on budget.

• Project Management
• Art Direction
• Exhibit Development
• Interpretive Planning
• Display and Graphic Design
• Concept Illustrations

• Value Engineering
• Estimates and Budgeting
• Consulting
• CAD and Shop Drawings
• Blueprint Layouts

Artistic Fabrication

Blue Rhino Studio began in 1996 as a creator of custom sculptural and painted elements for the museum, retail, zoological, and tradeshow industries. Working with architects, designers, and an enormous variety of clients, we have produced 2D and 3D pieces in many styles and levels of detail. Over the years, our devoted team has become a highly effective group that includes some of the best artists and craftsmen in the industry. We pride ourselves on being a leader in both distinctive quality and value. Our skilled builders can engineer and produce everything in-house, not just artwork, but also museum-quality cabinets and casework, durable exhibit furniture, artifact cases, interactive exhibits, and outdoor interpretive displays.

• Museum-Quality Cabinets and Casework
• Wood, Metal, and Fiberglass
• Painting, Staining, Varnishing
• Laminate and Veneers
• Artifact Mounting
• Durable Exhibit Funiture
• Conservatorial Artifact Display Cases
• Resin, Plastic, and Bronze Models

• Structural and CAD Engineering
• Estimates and Budgeting
• Multi-Media Hardware
• Creative and Unusual Construction
• Outdoor Exhibitry
• Professional Installation

Sculpture & Modelmaking

Our artists create objects and experiences that are inspiring and compelling. From scale models to larger-than-life recreations, our team produces some of the finest realistic animal, human, and plant replicas for museums and interpretive centers in the world. We also create dynamic and exciting large-scale custom sculptural pieces for tradeshows, retail and public spaces--no matter the scale, style or subject.

• Naturalistic Animals
• Reproduction Taxidermy
• Paleontological Replicas
• Botanical Models
• Cast Replicas
• Scale Models
• Mold Making

• Human Figures
• Topographic Models
• Bronze and Monumental Sculpture
• Faux Trees, Rocks, and Plants
• Fossil Reconstructions
• Archaeological Reproductions
• Prehistoric and Dinosaur Models
• Paleontology, Archaeology, Forensic Reconstruction

Murals & Illustration

Our painters and designers have years of experience in the museum arts industry, and take special pride in their creative work. They create concept sketches, color studies, drawings and renderings to help communicate ideas clearly before producing stunning and engaging artwork on any scale, in any style or medium. From murals to portraits to digital illustrations, we create the images that fuel our exhibits entirely in-house with our experienced, full-time staff.

• Handpainted Murals
• Scientific Illustration
• Interpretive Illustration
• Animal Identification
• Portraits
• Creative, Contemporary and Stylized
• Architectural and Historical Drawings

• Fine Art Reproductions, Homages, and Interpretations
• Digital Murals and Illustrations
• Animal Identification
• Paleontological and Paleoart
• Flesh Restoration

Dioramas & Immersive Environments

Our artists specialize in designing and creating new experiences, from scale models to captivating immersive environments. We are especially proud of our work designing and building artifical nature in the form of dioramas that feature our naturalistic sculptures, perfectly replicated botanical models, and hand-painted mural backgrounds. Immersive and replicated environments are a captivating part of any attraction and we have produced everything from a walk-through prehistoric forest diorama 96 feet long, to modern wildlife habitats enclosed in glass, to full-scale Native American villages, to fully interactive themed children's exhibits, and even gaming arenas for role-playing and strategy game tournaments.

• Natural and Cultural History Dioramas
• Handpainted Background Murals
• Human and Animal Sculpture
• Custom Habitat Groundforms
• Botanical Models
• Lighting and Electrical Plans

• Historical Places, Structures, and Facades
• Themed Environments
• Commercial and Retail Spaces
• Trade Show Photo Ops and Displays
• Traveling and Mobile Environments
• Signage and Displays

Interactive & Touchable

Interactive exhibits provide excellent opportunities to facilitate learning and to further understanding. We have produced many unique interactive and educational displays over the years, including topographic maps of all sizes and scales, touchable trees, rocks and foliage, climbable scenery and play equiptment, replica artifacts, moving parts and animal models for hands-on interpretive instruction, as well as many other highly durable elements that will last for years.

• Touchable Animal and Human Replicas
• Touchable Trees, Rocks, and Plants
• Durable Outdoor Installations
• Push-Button and Touchpad Interactives
• Flip doors, sliding, hidden interpretive content

• Replicated Artifacts
• Educational Models
• Integrated Electrical
• Creative Playground Equiptment

• Planning & Design
• Artistic Fabrication & Construction
• Sculpture & Model Making
• Murals & Illustration
• Dioramas & Immersive Environments
• Interactive & Touchable