Swallowtail

Downtown Noblesville, Indiana

This public art installation is located in the alley just of east of the Noblesville Courthouse Square. The Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly served as the inspiration for this installation. The artwork is a macro view of a section of the butterfly's wing pattern, when the individual scales of the butterfly become visible. The artwork seeks to highlight the beauty and intricacy that we find all around us in nature. It is also a tribute to all that Noblesville residents who work to protect our natural heritage. An artwork about nature can never do justice to the beauty of the source material, but hopefully it can spark more conversations about pollinators in our backyards and how we can protect them. 
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The artwork includes nearly 1000 individual pieces, cut and sewn one by one. Each “scale” of the butterfly wing pattern was hand-strung on the cables and secured in place before installation 14 feet above the ground. 

Thanks to the City of Noblesville and Nickel Plate Arts for their support of this project. Thanks to Tiii Environments for help with installation.