A kaleidoscope of multicolored butterflies brightened the day for many who visited Greensburg’s Art in the Alley on Saturday.
The newest in a variety of outdoor art pieces exhibited along Wilcox Way, next to The Palace Theatre, the butterfly display was installed in time for Saturday’s townwide Arts Walk event that celebrated all types of artistic creations, as well as music and local crafts.
“It’s fantastic, just a wonderful thing,” Stacey Pydynkowski said of the butterflies. An artist from Mt. Pleasant who specializes in expressionistic, nature-inspired portraiture, Pydynkowski was an ideal choice to collaborate with Evelyn Swanson, a senior at Greensburg Salem High School, in designing the butterfly installation.
“It takes a village to bring these projects to light,” Pydynkowski said. “It’s wonderful to see the end result.”
The butterfly project was conceived by Malinda Sherid of Hempfield, founder of the Second Chance Fund, which helped launch Art in the Alley in 2018. Sherid’s late daughter, Kimberley Cecchini, is the subject of other artwork installed in the area.
The project partially was funded by a local arts grant from Westmoreland County Parks & Recreation.
A number of local children were invited to provide their handprints in various colors, with the assistance of students from Greensburg Central Catholic High School.
Swanson, who plans to major in graphic design at Mercyhurst University, incorporated the hand impressions into her designs for the butterfly wings. The butterflies then were printed and die cut by Blue Sky Sign Co. to create the shapes that were arranged on a pair of black doors in the alley.
The names of participating children are spelled out on blades of grass at the base of the doors. Some of the butterflies escaped the main display and can be seen clinging to a nearby downspout.
“We’re excited about the new piece,” said Adam Seifert, manager of corporate and community engagement for the Westmoreland Cultural Trust, which is one of the organizations presenting Arts Walk. “The goal was to have it be accessible but still like high art.”
“It is exciting that children can visit to see their handprints in the artwork,” Sherid said.
