Butterflies benefit art

Elia Powers

On a cloud-covered Saturday afternoon, more than 40 Orange County

artists let loose their butterfly sculptures at Roger’s Gardens.

Visitors walked through the Gardens’ grounds, stopping to look at

the steel sculptures, painted or decorated by the local artists.

The artists made themselves available to talk to the public during

the afternoon. They will do the same next Saturday from 1:30 to 3

p.m.

The meet-and-greet event was one of the kickoff activities for the

Butterfly Initiative, a project intended to unite communities,

promote creativity and raise arts awareness throughout Orange County.

Roger’s Gardens vice president of marketing and sales Starr

Allumbaugh said the goal was for visitors to put a face on the

project.

“We wanted [the artists] to be able to interact with people who

might have questions about their work,” she said. “Many of the

artists are talking about their motivations for helping with this

project.”

Jonathan Burke, an Irvine artist and dean of fine arts at the

Laguna College of Art and Design, said it took him more than 100

hours to paint a 19th-century American landscape design on his

butterfly sculpture.

“It’s nice to be able to participate in an Orange County-wide

activity that benefits the community,” Burke said.

Many of the larger butterfly sculptures will be auctioned off

March 4 to local art collectors. The event will be broadcast on

KOCE-TV, with much of the money going toward Orange County’s first

endowment for arts and science education.

And as part of the Butterfly Initiative’s “Arts and Science Legacy

Project,” Roger’s Gardens is selling do-it-yourself butterfly kits

intended to be decorated and placed in front yards or business shop

windows.

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at

[email protected].