Broken Wings is about strengthening and nurturing kids. To help promote safe schools and healthy home environments, the art challenges viewers to become collaborators. Children with broken wings can undergo a transformational process—when a caring adult helps build emotional stability—and emerge from the cocoon with resilient wings. Jeff Veley, a national bully specialist, offers some…
Over the last decade, I have learned through my interactive art exhibits, as thousands of ArtPrize visitors have responded, that art facilitates healing. Interactive art also serves as a catalyst for individuals to express their stories. Both adults and children alike are very eager to share. Over the last decade, with each sacred story, the…
While visiting a butterfly house, a magnificent Blue Morpho Butterfly landed on my wrist like a “live” ornament bracelet. The Lepidoptera, or four-winged insect, remained on my hand for about the next thirty minutes—whether I walked or stood still. Curiously, the butterfly’s gigantic five-inch wingspan would flux in tandem with my movements. The butterfly’s wings…
Get the behind the scenes story of Broken Wings at ArtPrize Ten and Whitney’s story of courage and kindness. Watch time lapse clips of Broken Wings being set up and ArtPrize visitor interaction with Broken Wings. Broken Wings Grand Rapids Public Museum 272 Pearl Street NW (west of the river) September 19 to October 7,…
Art making isn’t easy! The printmaking process is very technically challenging. To complete a print, an artist needs to successfully complete a series of steps. If a mistake occurs at any point, the print must be discarded, and the entire time-intensive process needs to be restarted. Here’s a brief look into steps of printmaking: First,…
Monarch butterflies are fragile, but they must also be strong and resilient. Every year the butterflies embark on a dangerous flight from Canada to Mexico. The resources that they so desperately need to survive are not always available, yet many push through and find ways to thrive. Like the butterfly, our children can be taught…
Broken Wings empowers students to overcome bullying and toxic relationship by starting a Butterfly Effect of kindness. The interactive artwork also invites visitors to come up with their own creative solutions on how to diffuse negative social situations. In this video, one student offers his advice on how he has learned to personally overcome negativity…