Columbus Arts Festival and Franklin Park Conservatory Butterfly Project

Blooms & Butterflies is the Franklin Park Conservatory’s most popular annual exhibition featuring some of the most beautiful butterflies from around the world. Amidst a showcase of tropical flowers and foliage, Blooms & Butterflies transforms the Conservatory into an enchanting butterfly haven that’s fascinating for all ages.

Hundreds of chrysalises of more than 100 species from around the world are displayed in the Emergence Center, where, every day, dozens complete the metamorphosis into butterflies right before your eyes. Newly emerged butterflies are released into the Pacific Island Water Garden at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. with a short presentation by a Conservatory staff member.

From July-September 2011, the Conservatory will introduce a fresh focus on native butterflies. The release of the native butterflies will be into the Pollinators Garden in Franklin Park each day at 3 p.m. starting in July.

A new art component, 12 oversized butterfly sculptures, 4’ x 4’, fabricated by TORK, will line the path to the Scott's Miracle-Gro Community Garden Campus where the apiary and Pollinators Garden are located.

In partnership with the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the butterfly sculptures will be painted by young people in the GCAC’s Art in the House and TRANSIT ARTS after school programs.

Each group of young artists is led by a trained adult artist. Art in the House is for 5-12 year olds and Transit Arts participants are 13-19 years old. The painting of the butterfly sculptures will take place at each of the five settlement houses from the Columbus Federation of Settlements.

Each of the young artists groups has been invited by the Conservatory for a free guided tour of the Blooms & Butterflies exhibition, the Emergence Center and the Butterfly Room.

Columbus Arts Festival patrons will get a special sneak peek of the finished butterfly sculptures at the 50th Anniversary Columbus Arts Festival, June 3-5 in the Discovery District. The sculptures will be placed throughout the Festival site as another wonderful art experience at the Festival.

After the Festival, the butterfly sculptures will be moved to Franklin Park Conservatory where they will be placed along the path to the Pollinators Garden prior to the early July launch of the native butterfly program. For more information on the Conservatory and Blooms & Butterflies please visit www.fpconservatory.org