When Jigar Shah’s parents return to their hometown after visiting him in Chicago, they’ll tell their friends about the city’s museums, beaches and the giant butterflies they saw on the Magnificent Mile. Strolling down Michigan Avenue on Saturday afternoon, they spotted a colorful, steel butterfly sculpture with aluminum wings nestled in a bed of flowers by the sidewalk. “My mom was like, ‘This is amazing, we should take a picture,’” said Shah, 40, who lives in River North.
“She’s going to show it to all of her friends in India.” Titled “Map to Migration” and designed by Rubén Aguirre, the sculpture is part of “Flight of Butterflies,” a city-wide exhibit by the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Local artists and community groups have designed 29 butterfly sculptures — each roughly 6 feet high — to help inspire people to connect with nature and highlight the importance of wildlife conservation.
Last month, a portion of the sculptures were unveiled at the museum. Now 10 have landed on the Magnificent Mile, including in Pioneer Court, in front of the Ritz-Carlton and inside Water Tower Place. In July, they will migrate to Lincoln Park and in city parks on the South and West sides.
A map of the butterflies can be found at “It’s really beautiful,” Shah said of the art piece that delighted him and his family at 625 N. Michigan Ave. “It’s just so colorful, bright and vibrant.
I finally feel like spring and summer are here. It just makes me fee.
