Wings of Summer: Butterflies and Moths

Bruce Museum

Greenwich, CT

(203) 869-0376

Wings of Summer: Butterflies and Moths

August 2 - October 18, 1998

The Bruce Museum presents Wings of Summer: Butterflies and Moths from August 2 to October 18, 1998. Featuring the work of five artists - Peg Arnold, John Cody, Katie Lee, Mindy Lighthipe and Vichai Malikul - Wings of Summer: Butterflies and Moths captures the mystery and magic of butterflies and moths. Complementing the paintings will be mounted butterffies and moths from the Bruce Museum Collection which show the variety and beauty of these extraordinary creatures.

Each artist illustrates different aspects in the world of butterflies and moths. John Cody, who has been called the "Audubon of Moths," specializes in one species - the Saturniids. Born without mouths, these moths live only a few days before mating and dying, reminding us of the ephemeral nature of life.

Katie Lee shows us that butterflies and moths are not only beautiful but also unusual and amazingly efficient. Among her works are depictions of the butterfly life cycle from the pin-sized egg to the caterpillar to the chrysalis from which the winged adult emerges ready to mate and lay again.

Vichai Malikul from the Smithsonian Institution highlights the detailed pattems and forms of each species. His accurate images are used in the Peterson Guide to Eastem Botterflies.

Mindy Lighthipe and Peg Arnold share their delight and fascination with the insect world in their striking images of local and tropical butterfties - some seen as individuals, others enjoying their native habitats.

Also featured is one of the wonders of our natural world, the Monarch butterfly. As summer ends the Monarch leaves the coastal Connecticut area to embark on a two thousand mile journey to its wintering grounds in Mexico. Butterflies in general and the Monarch in particular are studied by second grade students in Greenwich schools. The artwork produced by these students as part of their butterfly projects will be on view at the Museum during this exhibition.
From top to botom: Katie Lee, Promethea Moth on Carbapple, 1994, gouache, 19 x 22 inches; Katie Lee, Giant Swallowtail, 1998, gouache, 26 x 23 inches; Mindy Lighthipe, Blue Morpho, 1995, colored pencil, 18 x 24 inches.

rev. 11/26/10

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