EAST LANSING, Mich. — Across Michigan, more than one hundred sixty-five thousand direct care workers show up for others every day. Most of the time, their work goes unnoticed. But right now, at the Hannah Community Center in East Lansing, their stories are being honored with butterflies. And it all started with an idea that was never meant to become what it did.
This is the Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden, a traveling art exhibit featuring thousands of handcrafted paper butterflies, honoring caregivers and the people they care for.
Meranda Putnom is a direct care worker who supports adults at a day center. Some of the people she works with helped create these butterflies.
“Seeing their work live on in this installation means so much. The symbol of the butterfly as transformation, growth, beauty, and freedom really exemplifies the stories that we have with them.”
The Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden was designed by artist Zahrah Resh. But this project, Zahrah says, didn’t begin as a statewide tribute to caregivers. In fact, it started as something very different.
“In 2017, I entered ArtPrize. It is an international art competition in Grand Rapids, and my goal was to win the two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar prize. I was recovering from cancer at that time, and my internist suggested that I get back into art by participating in ArtPrize.”
Zahrah became focused on winning ArtPrize. The problem was she didn’t have the money to fund a large installation. That’s when her internist suggested she speak with her oncologist.
"I spoke to my oncologist and presented my idea. He said yes, he would fund me, except that I had to include all of his cancer patients in the entry, which is a lot. I asked him how many cancer patients he wanted involved in the project. He said, ‘I see cancer patients, four hundred patients a day,’ so I had to come up with something the cancer patients could do, and there was a whole set of rules.”
The rules were strict. Cancer patients couldn’t work with anything moist, dusty, or dirty. That’s when the idea for a paper butterfly garden took shape. What began as an art competition entry became something so much bigger.Today, the project brings generations together. It started with cancer patients and doctors. Now, communities across Michigan are adding their own butterflies.For caregivers like Meranda, walking through the garden is more than just seeing art. It’s a moment to pause.
“Coming here and seeing the installation, it’s very peaceful. It really helps you emotionally connect to the work that you’ve done.”
Zahrah hopes the Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden continues to grow, traveling from community to community, bringing moments of peace and honoring direct care workers everywhere. Because for her, the butterflies were never meant to stay in one place.
The Good Neighbors behind this story are artist Zahrah Resh and everyone who took the time to make a butterfly for the garden. Because sometimes, honoring care starts with creating something beautiful together.
If you would like more information on the Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden, visit www.impartalliance.msu.edu/butterfly-gardens.
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