Foundation Butterfly Flutters for Freedom
In cooperation with the Dallas County Arts Alliance, over 40 organizations and individuals in Dallas County designed and painted 5-foot tall wooden butterflies, each reflecting its sponsor’s vision. In a courtyard at Byrd Elementary, for example, a studious butterfly, complete with wire glasses, reads beneath the shade of a tree. International Paper’s butterfly, at the corner of Broad and Water, is a collage of all things paper, including stamps, dollar bills, playing cards and newspaper pages. The butterflies were unveiled October 9th and now grace the streets of historic downtown Selma.
Among the many butterflies is the Freedom Foundation’s, which sits on the corner of Alabama and Broad, in front of the Tepper’s building. The butterfly is designed like a patchwork quilt. Jarah McGowan, one of the designers for the project, describes how her grandmother would take pieces of fabric from various sources and stitch them together to make a quilt. One piece might come from her daughter’s skirt, and another, from her son’s old baby blanket. This idea inspired Jarah McGowan and Amanda Farnsworth, to gather children’s artwork and piece it together on the wings of the butterfly. The Foundation’s butterfly titled “Pieces of America,” is a collection of ideas, thoughts and pictures that represents what freedom means to them.
The designers and a supporting team “stitched” the pieces together and then weatherproofed the complete work so the butterfly would survive the changing seasons. As is often the case, things didn’t go exactly as planned and the team hit a few snags along the way. They ultimately weatherproofed the butterfly by the light of their headlights on the night before the unveiling. Overall, team members are proud of the final product, which represents people coming together from various locations and forming one beautiful piece of work. They aren’t the only people proud of the work: Jarah McGowan has seen children excitedly showing their parents’ their very own piece of the quilt, “It’s something for them to own and be proud of.”
“This has been a very successful project for the Dallas County Arts Alliance,” said Steve Grossman, Chairman of the Dallas County Arts Alliance. “It is rewarding to see businesses, schools and local artists all come together to help Selma take flight to greater heights. The response we have had from the community is incredible.”
The Dallas County Arts Alliance was a collaborative effort of those in the arts community to work together, share resources, increase art and cultural awareness as a whole throughout the city of Selma and ultimately help revitalize the historic downtown district of Selma.
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Freedom Foundation
PO Box 715
Selma, AL 36701
(334) 375-3606
