Butterfly sculptures inspire selfies, promote wildlife conservation on the Magnificent Mile
When Jigar Shah’s parents return to their hometown after visiting him in Chicago, they’ll tell their friends about the city’s museums, beaches and the giant butterflies they saw on the Magnificent Mile.
Strolling down Michigan Avenue on Saturday afternoon, they spotted a colorful, steel butterfly sculpture with aluminum wings nestled in a bed of flowers by the sidewalk.
“My mom was like, ‘This is amazing, we should take a picture,’” said Shah, 40, who lives in River North. “She’s going to show it to all of her friends in India.”
Titled “Map to Migration” and designed by Rubén Aguirre, the sculpture is part of “Flight of Butterflies,” a city-wide exhibit by the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Local artists and community groups have designed 29 butterfly sculptures — each roughly 6 feet high — to help inspire people to connect with nature and highlight the importance of wildlife conservation.
Last month, a portion of the sculptures were unveiled at the museum. Now 10 have landed on the Magnificent Mile, including in Pioneer Court, in front of the Ritz-Carlton and inside Water Tower Place. In July, they will migrate to Lincoln Park and in city parks on the South and West sides.
A map of the butterflies can be found at naturemuseum.org.
“It’s really beautiful,” Shah said of the art piece that delighted him and his family at 625 N. Michigan Ave. “It’s just so colorful, bright and vibrant. I finally feel like spring and summer are here. It just makes me feel happy.”
Viewing "Flight of Butterflies" may remind Chicagoans of the four-month Cows on Parade public art installation that brought more than 300 sculptures to the city in 1999 — and then a handful more for the 20th anniversary in 2019.
Like those colorful mammals, the butterfly sculptures also sport unique and whimsical designs. Hector Duarte's butterfly outside of the John Hancock Center features the Chicago skyline on its wings, while Yvette Mayaorga used cake-decorating techniques to create a pink butterfly placed across the street from the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile hotel. Both artists tied butterflies' migration patterns to their own families' migration stories in their artist statements.
On Saturday, the butterflies drew a lot of attention from passersby, though not everyone read the placards, which provided an overview of the project, descriptions from artists and QR codes leading to the butterfly map. The codes also provided access to an impressive augmented reality feature that allowed visitors to take photos with virtual butterflies — while listening to nature sounds.
Many people posed for selfies and group photos.
Security guard Marcus Shears had a perfect view of excited visitors from his post outside Alo clothing store on 717 N. Michigan Ave., where artist Cydney Lewis’ multicolored butterfly sculpture with prominent red streaks was perched among flowers.
“It brightens the area,” said Shears, who works for RedHawk Consulting Group. “People stop, look at it, take pictures in front of it.”
Titled “Adapting to an Unnatural Habitat: A Haiku,” the piece featured a poem as its artist statement:
Like the Butterfly
Plastics need transformation
To help the Earth thrive
Beyond drawing attention to environmental concerns through art, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is committed to conservation through initiatives such as its Judy Istock Butterfly Haven, home to more than 1,000 free-flying butterflies representing more than 40 species.
When told about the museum's efforts and the mission of the “Flight of Butterflies” project, Shears touted the benefits of nature.
“It brings tranquility and peace whenever you’re out in it,” he said.