Kaleidoscope Park is a place where nature meets culture and art abounds. Located adjacent to Hall Park’s Texas Sculpture Garden, Kaleidoscope Park’s centerpiece is the new, captivating work 'Butterfly Rest Stop.'
Created by world-renowned sculpture and fabric artist Janet Echelman, the magnificent art hangs overhead in the Park’s Arts Plaza. The butterfly theme highlights the area as an important corridor for the monarch butterfly’s migration.
The piece was installed across several days, tensioned atop its massive pylons, representing one of the largest outdoor public art installations in Texas.
'Butterfly Rest Stop' explores the interconnectedness of humans and nature in the public sphere. Butterflies and other pollinators play an important role in Earth's ecosystem, but monarch numbers have declined in recent years due to the loss of milkweed along their migratory routes that pass through Frisco each year.
The design of 'Butterfly Rest Stop' echoes the forms, patterns and colors of milkweed flowers. Made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers like those used by NASA to tether the Mars Rover, the sculpture is comprised of two five-petaled forms that float gently in the air. The intricately designed work uses nearly 90 miles of fiber to create the 165-foot-long span.
To further the pollinator message, native milkweed has been added to the Park’s Arts Plaza to welcome monarch butterflies to the Park.
“Great art enhances our lives and causes us to step back and think about the world we live in,” says Craig Hall, founder and chairman of Hall Group. “Janet Echelman’s unique works have inspired millions around the world, and we're thrilled to bring her newest creation to Frisco.”
Janet's known for creating large-scale artworks that transform with wind and light, changing shape and color in response to the forces of nature. Her works have been displayed in Singapore, Sydney, Shanghai, Santiago, Beijing, Boston, New York and London.
“When I learned the monarch butterflies migrate through the area each October, I wanted to plant milkweed underneath to help create a sustaining pollinator corridor, and to suspend my first flower-inspired sculpture in the sky to remind of our interconnected destinies,” Janet says.
“Janet’s ability to interpret the natural world in such a beautiful way makes her an ideal partner for Kaleidoscope Park,” says Shawn Jackson, executive director, Kaleidoscope Park Foundation.