Art Takes Flight raises $1.3 million for Wings

Metro St. Louis Suburban Journals
June 6, 2011

Wings, the BJC pediatric hospice and palliative care program, recently sponsored a citywide public art project called Wings in the City, which showcased 56 decorated butterflies in locations throughout the area.

The butterflies were displayed at sites including Tower Grove Park, Maryland Plaza in the Central West End, Kiener and Aloe plazas in downtown St. Louis, and locations in or around Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Plaza Frontenac, Chesterfield Mall and West County Center.

The butterflies were auctioned off at the Art Takes Flight Auction Gala on May 21 at the St. Louis Hyatt at the Arch. The $1.3 million the auction raised will benefit Wings, a nonprofit organization that provides clinical, emotional and spiritual support for children who have life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses, even if families cannot pay for the services. Read article on STLToday.com >

Butterfly auction raises $1.3 million for Wings

St. Louis (KSDK) -- A public art project has raised $1.3 million dollars for BJC's pediatric hospice program Wings.

"Wings in the City" featured 56 butterflies created by artists all across the region. Many used different techniques to create their piece.

Thirteen of the 56 butterflies were auctioned off Saturday night at Hyatt downtown. The other butterflies already have permanent homes established across the area. Read article on KSDK >

St. Louis Kids Magazine

by Andrea Wilson - Events Blogger for Smart Parenting
on 03-14-2011

The Butterflies Have Landed

This weekend my family and I were lucky enough to catch a rocking performance of Dan Zanes and his Friends at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA). As we approached the entrance, I realized that a large blue Wings in the City fiberglass butterfly was welcoming us to COCA!

Last October, thousands of visitors came to the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park for the butterflies’ public debut. The butterflies have been hibernating all winter, but now they are ready to spread their wings. From West County to Downtown, all 54 of the fiberglass beauties are being unveiled around town this spring.

COCA isn’t the only place to see the butterflies. Since I’ve already given away the location of one of the sculptures, you’ll have to find the rest for yourself. But the folks at Wings in the City have made it easy! Just download a free map from their website and go on your very own scavenger hunt. Keep your eyes open, the butterflies could be anywhere — the mall, a park or even your child’s school.
If you spy a butterfly that you must have, the sculptures will be auctioned off at a fundraising event on Saturday, May 21 at the Art Takes Flight Auction Gala. This cocktail-attire evening is the last chance to view the butterflies before they go to their final destinations. An amazing night of entertainment, auction bidding, a raffle and more is promised. Proceeds provide clinical, emotional and spiritual support to children who have life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses, even if families cannot pay for the services.

The Wings in the City butterflies will be on display around the metro area until May. For more information on any of the organization’s events, please visit their website. You can also check out all of the butterflies online and learn about the artists’ inspiration.

Also, by Andrea Wilson - Events Blogger for Smart Parenting

on 10-01-2010

Meet the Butterflies

View >

FOX2now - Wings In The City

Butterfly sculptures are springing up around St. Louis.
View KTVI Video>

Rams Butterfly Ready to Come Out of Hibernation

By Joe Gacioch
Posted Feb 22, 2011

If you were in the Rams Club during the 2010 home opener against Arizona, you might have noticed something that looked out of place, and it wasn’t the elaborate ice sculpture at the front of the buffet. A five-foot tall, fiberglass butterfly was situated at the back of the Club for fans to admire before it went into “hibernation” for the winter.

The Rams butterfly is part of Wings in the City, a citywide art project sponsored by Wings, BJC’s Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care program. Wings in the City provides the opportunity for BJC Hospice to gain more visibility in the St. Louis community and raise funds for programs within the pediatric hospice, including its new Jennifer and Jim Koman Expressive Therapy Program.

Local artists, in partnership with a sponsoring organization or individual, painted the five-foot tall, four-foot wide fiberglass butterflies. The Rams are one of the 54 sponsors of Wings in the City, and special projects assistant Margie Baldwin served as the team’s artist and painted the team’s butterfly in a lavish blue and gold design. Several Rams players and head coach Steve Spagnuolo autographed the base of the butterfly, which will be displayed throughout St. Louis in the spring.

All 54 butterflies were unveiled together at a sneak peek event at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park in October, and after the event the butterflies “hibernated” for the winter. Now that spring is close to arriving, the butterflies are ready to come out of hibernation and will be placed in prominent locations throughout St. Louis City and County from March through May. The Rams butterfly will make its home at Plaza Frontenac, where it will be installed on Tuesday, March 1 and stay until Sunday, May 15. The butterflies will then be auctioned off at a fundraising event on Saturday, May 21.

Wings is a nonprofit organization that provides clinical, emotional and spiritual support care to children who have life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses, even if families cannot pay for the services. Wings is the only program of its kind in the St. Louis area, and since its inception in 1997 its mission has been to minimize fear and maximize joy for families during difficult times.
Read on The Offical Site of the St. Louis Rams >

Wings in the City in Town & Style

Look for Wings in the City on the March 9th cover of St. Louis’s newest publication Town & Style. View Town & Style>

Wings in the City Private Debut

Photos by Diane Anderson and SLM Street Team
October 9

Butterflies were unveiled for the first time at a reception at the World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park! All proceeds benefit Wings in the City and the BJC Pediatric Hospice Program. View St. Louis Magazine Photo Gallery >

Butterfly artwork on display for children's benefit

St. Louis (KSDK) -- Wings is a pediatric hospice program through BJC that serves terminally ill children and their families.

Friends of Wings helps the hospice group continue providing their services.

The group commissioned 55 butterfly statues to benefit Wings. Local artists created the pieces which will be on display Saturday at a private celebration. They will be on display Sunday at World's Fair Pavilion from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

This spring they'll be on display all across the St. Louis area. All the money raised from the project benefits the expressive arts program of Wings. Read article on KSDK > Watch Video on KSDK >

Wings in the City

DAWN MAJORS

Oct. 9, 2010--The butterflies are part of a public art project called "Wings in the City." There are a total of 54 butterflies that will be on display throughout prominent areas of the city next spring. Wings, Barnes-Jewish Hospital's pediatric hospice and palliative care program, is sponsoring the event to raise money for their Expressive Therapy program. Dawn Majors dmajors@post-dispatch.com Read article on STLToday.com >

“Wings in the City” & Heyde Sewing

LaVanna Wrobley and Diane Katzmann are to telling us about a new St. Louis art project, “Wings in the City.” Also, we’ll show you how easy it is to start your embroidery business with help from Heyde Sewing Machine Company. Watch Video on KMOV >

Butterfly Brilliance

Artists' winged creations raise money for charity

By Mary Shapiro
Tuesday, August 3, 2010 3:06 PM CDT

"I've always wanted wings like a butterfly, to carry me through worlds only I can imagine, realms of translucent color and softness, and places I'd never wear shoes."

That poem by Webster Groves artist Mary Radcliff-Harnetiaux, 37, formed the concept for "Flutter," the name of the jewel-like butterfly artwork she's creating.

"I'm making it look like it floated out of a child's imagination," she said as she added some yellow acrylic paint to the 57-inch high, 250-pound fiberglass butterfly with its 4-foot wingspan.

She's among 54 artists who are painting butterflies for the first-ever Wings in the City charity public art project.

The project was created to raise money for the non-profit Wings, BJC Hospice's pediatric palliative care program. The program is designed to help relieve the physical, emotional and spiritual suffering of seriously ill children. The idea came after Jennifer Koman saw a similar project with turtles in Vero Beach, Fla. Jennifer Koman and her husband established an endowment for Wings in 2009, said LaVanna Wrobley, project manager.

Butterflies, all financially "adopted" by a corporation or individual, will make their public debut Oct. 10 at the World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park. From March to May, they'll be on display at various locations throughout the metropolitan area. "This is the most worthwhile project I've done," Radcliff-Harnetiaux said. "One that can help children, which is important to me especially now that I'm a mom." Artists received their butterflies in May and have until Sept. 18 to finish. Suntrup auto dealership in Kirkwood will then clear coat them for outdoor display.

Radcliff-Harnetiaux's plan is to eventually decorate her butterfly and the poem on the base, with every color of the rainbow, more or less. "My son Zane (soon to be six) looked at it and said 'butterflies? Those are for girls,' so I used very little pink," said Radcliff-Harnetiaux, who specializes in large-scale abstract works. She's also painting "boy-centric" little critters - a snake, dragonflies, beetles, bumblebees, snails and others - which will be hidden in the design of the butterfly's wings, flower and base.

Paul Pagano, 39, of Maplewood, is working on "Begin Again," a butterfly sponsored by Schnucks Markets. "It's a very colorful mosaic. I'm using recycled glass, scrap glass, glass beads, anything glass I can get my hands on," he said. He enjoys doing projects that benefit charities, such as Wings, Habitat for Humanity and Stray Rescue. A designer and the construction project manager for his own Paul Pagano Designs firm, he's "into mid- 20th century abstract art.""This whole project is awesome, and it's been amazing to do something beautiful that benefits Wings," he said.

Link to Suburban Journals article >

St. Louis To Spread Its Wings

Webster-Kirkwood Times, August 06, 2010

Readers may have heard of the "Cows on Parade" public art project in Chicago, or "Pigs on Parade" in Seattle, well now BJC is sponsoring a project showcasing more than 50 decorated butterflies to be placed in prominent locations throughout the community. Called "Wings in the City," giant, fiberglass butterflies painted by selected artists will begin appearing this spring at yet undisclosed locations throughout St. Louis City and County. Wings is BJC's pediatric hospice and palliative care program. The program will raise funds for Wings' new Jennifer and Jim Koman Expressive Therapy Program. Pictured above are (from left) Connie Frommelt, Lucy Krejci and Lucy's mom, Meg Krejci, with their butterfly creation. All three artists are with Masterpeace Studios at ArtSpace at Crestwood Court and live in Webster Groves. Link to www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com article >

Paint your own Butterflies

The paint me butterflies are now being sold at the following stores:

• Lusso
  165 Carondelet Plaza
  Clayton, MO 63105
• Ladue Pharmacy
  9832 Clayton Rd
  Ladue, MO 63124

Butterfly At Muny Created By Local Artist

KSDK – St. Louis is spreading its wings for a city-wide art exhibition.

Tuesday night the BJC Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care program unveiled a butterfly at the Muny in Forest Park. Read full article >

Butterflies Bring Peace To St. Louis, But One In Particular Carries Special Meaning

Fly Softly Dear Butterfly For All Of Those To See, By Suzanne Boyle

Belleville News Democrat

With spirit, hope and grace ever so gently.
Fly for those who left our world too soon,
Hold your wings high for everyone to admire and swoon.

-- Part of a poem written by Robin Zarzecki in memory of her son, Caleb. It is painted around the base of the butterfly.

When Robin Zarzecki of Troy worked on her butterfly sculpture, her thoughts flew to son Caleb.

"I did a lot of sketching and a lot of crying the day I got it," she said of the sculpture delivered to her in April by Friends of Wings, which raises money for hospice care. She put the finishing touches on it in late May.

And the Artists Are...

St. Louis – St. Louis is spreading itʼs wings...and showing its talent! Wings, a BJC pediatric hospice and palliative care program, is sponsoring a citywide public art project showcasing over fifty decorated butterflies throughout our community next Spring. The program, called Wings in the City, will raise funds for the Expressive Therapy Program. Each of the 5ʼ x 4ʼ fiberglass butterflies will be painted by a local artist, in partnership with a sponsoring individual or organization.
Download Press Release

Wings program at BJC launches butterfly project

By Deb Peterson

St. Louis Post-Dispatch TAKING OFF: Some years back, St. Louis had sculptures of people all over the place. It was “The People Project,” St. Louis’s venture into the public art trend that was launched in 1999 with Chicago’s “Cows on Parade.” Read full article >

St. Louis To Spread Its Wings

BJC Wings Announces Citywide Public Art Project

Download Press Release | Download Q&A | Download 8x10 Photo

ST. LOUIS (February 16, 2010) It is said if a butterfly flaps its wings the effect can be felt around the world. Wings, the BJC pediatric hospice and palliative care program, announced it will be sponsoring a citywide public art project showcasing over fifty decorated butterflies in prominent locations throughout our community next Spring. The program, called Wings in the City, will raise funds for Wings’ new Jennifer and Jim Koman Expressive Therapy Program.

Each of the fiberglass butterflies, (five feet high by four feet wide), will be painted by a local artist, in partnership with a sponsoring individual or organization. Mary Engelbreit, the event’s Honorary Artist, has led the charge calling artists throughout the region to design beautiful, whimsical and unique creations.

Wings in the City, similar to Cows on Parade in Chicago and Pigs on Parade in Seattle, is a fun opportunity to gain visibility and raise needed funds for Wings’ specialty programs. Barbara Westland, Executive Director of BJC Hospice, says, “Wings in the City is such an exciting project.  While it promises to raise awareness and important funds for the Wings program, it will be such a wonderful event for our community and sponsors, too.  Our butterfly logo symbolizes both hope and grace. We can't thank our Presenting Sponsor, Emerson, and our media partner St. Louis magazine enough for their support of this event and other charitable programs that make such a difference in our community."

The butterflies will be delivered to St. Louis in April. Decorated butterflies will be unveiled at a sneak peek event at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park in October 2010, before they go back in to their cocoons for the winter. The Butterflies will then be on display next Spring from March 2011 through May 2011 in prominent locations throughout the city and county and will be sold at the Art Takes Flight Auction in May 2011.

Established in 1997, Wings is a nonprofit organization that provides palliative and hospice care to children who have progressive or life-threatening illnesses, regardless of the family's ability to pay.  It is the only program of its kind in our area, providing clinical care and expressive therapy to patients and their families to help minimize the fear and maximize the joy during a difficult time. 

If you’d like more information on this topic, or a black and white photograph of an unpainted butterfly, please call Sally Gelfman at 314-223-6115 or e-mail sallygelfman@gmail.com.