Cicadas seem to be everywhere these days. They’re and will soon be singing from the treetops all over Illinois as the life cycles of two broods coincide for the first time . But they’re also on stickers, wall art and graphic novels, on witty Tees , on sculptures and even .
Going from bug to fad, cicadas have been embraced by artists and entrepreneurs showcasing products that celebrate this rare, shared event. “It’s more than just an item,” said Nina Salem, founder of , an Avondale-based museum of zoology leading a for amateur and expert artists to buy or sponsor over 1,000 giant plaster cicada sculptures to be decorated and placed around Chicago. “It’s an experience, and it’s an opportunity to join a community.
” Some entrepreneurs, including Salem, are longtime insect enthusiasts who love cicadas in their rough, natural beauty and want to share that love. Others, trying to overcome their own aversions, are making less realistic, more appealing merchandise. “I took the Chicago flag and desecrated it with cute little happy cicadas,” said Trayce Zimmermann, a Chicago PR specialist who started the website .
“And I added the music twist (referring to the site’s takeoff on Lollapalooza) because a trillion of them are coming out to sing. There you have ‘cicada chic’ — something that is fun to wear for people who don’t like the ick factor.” Local artists and entrepreneurs say they hope to encourage the public to embrace the insects as part of commu.
