2025 was an amazing year for Gecko Group!

2025 was full of exciting projects with long-standing clients, new collaborations, and invigorating travel.

In the Zoo world, we continued our relationships with both the Nashville Zoo and the Maryland Zoo. In Nashville, we opened the remarkable Leopard Forest exhibit as part of the expansion of their Africa area. In Maryland, we kicked off development on a new Red Panda exhibit.  

In the Public Garden space, we started new projects with Birmingham Botanic Gardens and Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, as well as with our partners at Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens.

It wasn’t all work in 2025 for the Geckos. We also socialized and networked with colleagues near and far at several conferences including the Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference in Florida where we met new people, made connections on exciting projects, and enjoyed time with many of our peers. We were also honored to present our work with Lancaster Conservancy on accessible wayfinding on trails at several conferences.

Jill and Ellie even made new friends!

Nashville Zoo at Grassmere

Leopard Forest

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

We were thrilled to work with Nashville Zoo on their amazing new exhibit Leopard Forest, which includes new habitats for species new to the Zoo, including Amur leopards, colobus & DeBrazza’s monkeys, as well as tiny antelopes called klipspringers. These brand-new exhibit elements were paired with updates to the surrounding Africa exhibit, resulting in a new cohesive exhibit experience called Africa: Living in Balance.

Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library

New Orientation Exhibit

WINTERTHUR, DELAWARE

In our own backyard we collaboarted with the team at Winterthur Museum, Garden, & Library and fabrication partner, Art Guild, to develop and design this special exhibit. Featuring a large map of the core site, the exhibit helps visitors understand how to navigate the site, as well as historical information that helps orient them to the significance of the site. The resulting exhibit will welcome visitors to Winterthur for years to come.

The Mütter Museum

Trusted Messengers

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

Back at it again with the wonderful team at the Mütter Museum, we collaborated on their new Trusted Messengers exhibit. Presenting stories of the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibit looked at who we trust when it comes to medical information. Stories and points of view are presented through objects, artworks, and striking photographs.

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

Parking Lot Banners

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden has been a valued client for many years, beginning with our collaboration on a comprehensive, site-wide Interpretive Master Plan. Part of that plan included a range of improvements and signage additions to the entry experience. We designed a series of banners to help make the arrival experience memorable. We collaborated with the illustrators at Plankton Art to bring these designs to life. The result is a series of vibrant, elegant yet playful images.

The Gecko team is excited to continue our long-standing work with Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). In 2026, we will see the finalization and installation of work at Delaware State Forest and the Mt Davis High Point in Forbes State Forest. We will also continue work on new exhibits for Marsh Creek State Park, and updates to signage at the Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park.

We are looking forward to once again working with several sites in Pinellas County, Florida to create new exhibit experiences. We are also excited about finalizing fabrication and installation on a new badge trail created for the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio.

Planning work will continue with our botanic garden partners at Birmingham and Lauritzen, and we will also see the opening of a new exhibit at the Mütter Museum.

We know that 2026 will bring other wonderful opportunities and look forward to seeing where they take us. If anything you saw in our look back at 2025 spoke to you, please reach out. We would love to work with you!