Seasons may come and go, but The Morton Arboretum is giving visitors a permanent piece of fall to bring home with them this year.
The arboretum’s Glass Pumpkin Patch is returning for its 16th year, with more than 8,000 handmade pumpkins and other seasonal items available for purchase Oct. 9-11.
Handmade, seasonal creations
The artwork is handmade by glass artists from across the country, who dedicate hours upon hours to making them prior to the event.
“It’s a combination of artists from both the Midwest and farther away, Utah, upstate New York, North Carolina,” Jacque Fucilla, senior manager at The Arboretum Store, said. “We’re always excited to see what they bring each year because it’s kind of like Christmas.”
Each piece is uniquely shaped and colored, created from glass heated in a furnace to about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Prices range from about $40 to several hundred dollars.
Supporting artists, boosting business
Kit Paulson, a glass artist originally hailing from Naperville, has been part of the event since its first year. More than a decade later, she said a lot has changed.
“I didn’t really know what it was going to be. I didn’t have anything to lose, so I tried it,” Paulson said. “It’s grown tremendously.”
Paulson gives demonstrations at the patch as well, giving visitors an inside look into her craft.
“It’s really nice to be able to show people how it all works so that they understand how involved the process is,” Paulson said. “As humans, we have the capability to make stuff with our hands, and I think a lot of times in every day life we forget that.”
With sales split between the arboretum and the artists, she also said this yearly tradition is a big boost for business.
“It’s made a lot of things possible in the rest of my artwork, things that are not particularly related to pumpkins. I do a different type of glass making in my own work, called flame working, and I teach that all over the world. So the pumpkin patch has made a lot of travel opportunities like that possible,” Paulson said.
Fucilla added that the arboretum’s relationship with artists, both at the Glass Pumpkin Patch and in regularly rotating large-scale sculptural exhibitions, is one it is proud to foster.
“Not only are we introducing new artists to this event and our guests to new artists, it’s a way to grow the patch and grow the designs and change up the techniques used,” Fucilla said. “Art and nature is a great way for people to connect, and art looks different when it’s in nature versus a gallery, you know, a white space.”
New this year
New to the patch this year are glass creations celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, like flower and monarch designs along with pumpkins sporting sombreros.
Four additional artists will also feature their work.
‘Signature series’ pumpkins
Each year, the patch also features a ‘signature series’ pumpkin. Artists submit designs to be considered by arboretum staff, with one chosen to be replicated in a limited run.
The 2026 signature series pumpkin was designed by Lake Forest artist Aaron Baigelman and is titled ‘Harvest Confetti.’
Fucilla advised visitors who wish to purchase a signature pumpkin to arrive early, as they tend to sell out quickly.
When to visit
The Glass Pumpkin Patch is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Oct. 9, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 10-11. Entrance is included in the Arboretum’s general admission.
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