Larger-than-life butterfly sculptures coming to city this summer
Butterfly sculptures await the next stage in the production process in an art studio.
SYDNEY GUSH
SYDNEY GUSH
Each spring and summer, a bevy of swallowtail butterflies descends on parks in Chicago.
But this year, residents may notice some look a whole lot bigger.
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences will place 29 6-foot-tall butterfly sculptures along the Magnificent Mile, in Lincoln Park, and in city parks on the South and West sides. The installation is part of a new initiative called “Flight of Butterflies,” which features an intersection of art, nature and storytelling.
Before the sculptures are dispersed throughout the city in July, they will be installed outside the museum, located at 2430 N. Cannon Drive, on April 25. Local artists and community groups have designed the steel sculptures, which have aluminum wings and are modeled after the common eastern tiger swallowtail and the state-threatened regal fritillary species. They will remain in place until late 2025.
The mission of the initiative is to connect people to nature, highlight the museum’s conservation efforts and share stories from a diverse group of artists from various Chicago neighborhoods.
In addition to partnering with the Chicago Park District, the museum also worked with art consultant Cortney Lederer and ChiLab Studio, which constructed the sculpture forms and provided studio space for the artists.
Tullman Community Ventures contributed financial support.
The sculptures were created by both experienced and emerging artists, as well as community groups, some of which work with unhoused artists, people with developmental disabilities and youth. The designs showcase a wide variety of media, including acrylic paint, fabric, mosaic tiles, African beads and even blankets.
One of the sculptures will live in the museum’s lobby. Designed by Ignite Studios, the work is a kaleidoscope of more than 200 glass butterflies. It was inspired by the museum’s Judy Istock Butterfly Haven, home to more than 1,000 free-flying butterflies representing more than 40 species.
But this year, residents may notice some look a whole lot bigger.
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences will place 29 6-foot-tall butterfly sculptures along the Magnificent Mile, in Lincoln Park, and in city parks on the South and West sides. The installation is part of a new initiative called “Flight of Butterflies,” which features an intersection of art, nature and storytelling.
Before the sculptures are dispersed throughout the city in July, they will be installed outside the museum, located at 2430 N. Cannon Drive, on April 25. Local artists and community groups have designed the steel sculptures, which have aluminum wings and are modeled after the common eastern tiger swallowtail and the state-threatened regal fritillary species. They will remain in place until late 2025.
The mission of the initiative is to connect people to nature, highlight the museum’s conservation efforts and share stories from a diverse group of artists from various Chicago neighborhoods.
In addition to partnering with the Chicago Park District, the museum also worked with art consultant Cortney Lederer and ChiLab Studio, which constructed the sculpture forms and provided studio space for the artists.
Tullman Community Ventures contributed financial support.
The sculptures were created by both experienced and emerging artists, as well as community groups, some of which work with unhoused artists, people with developmental disabilities and youth. The designs showcase a wide variety of media, including acrylic paint, fabric, mosaic tiles, African beads and even blankets.
One of the sculptures will live in the museum’s lobby. Designed by Ignite Studios, the work is a kaleidoscope of more than 200 glass butterflies. It was inspired by the museum’s Judy Istock Butterfly Haven, home to more than 1,000 free-flying butterflies representing more than 40 species.