Butterfly Festival Emerges from Newspring

Little-known fact: A swarm of butterflies is a kaleidoscope. A guaranteed-to-make-you-smile fact: A kaleidoscope of butterflies will soon land in our neighborhood.

Thanks to a collaboration between Newspring and area schools, 50 super-sized butterflies – a Butterfly Festival – will brighten expected and unexpected spots around the community. You won’t miss them. They are five feet across and as unique as the artists who create them. Art students and teachers are breathing life into designs submitted by art classes and professional artists.

Several Spring Branch ISD schools are decorating the aluminum butterflies: Buffalo Creek, Housman, Ridgecrest, Sherwood and Terrace Elementary Schools; Landrum, Northbrook and Spring Woods Middle Schools; and Memorial, Northbrook and Spring Woods High Schools.

 “When we imagined this project, we chose the butterfly because it’s a symbol of transformation,” said Robert Westheimer, chairman of Newspring, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to making a positive social and economic impact in the Spring Branch area. “Once completed, these butterflies will transform our community landscape, and the proceeds will fund scholarships for at-risk students and transform their lives.”

Community patrons and local organizations are buying the artwork: several area churches, MetroNational, Blazer Building, SpringSpirit Baseball, Memorial Assistance Ministries and Allpoints Surveying, among others. In addition to buying several butterflies, David Weekley Homes will award a $2,500 scholarship for each of the five best student designs selected by the homebuilder’s staff.

Sponsorships, ranging from $7,500 to $50,000, are available. Email rwestheimer1@comcast.net for more information. In addition to student, teacher and professional artists, Newspring is partnering with Holly and Tom Forney of Forney Construction, MetroNational and Best Collision.

Stop by Memorial City Mall at the end of November to see the kaleidoscope. After that, the butterflies will wing their way to spots chosen by the purchasers. That’s when the guaranteed-to-make-you-smile fun begins. You’ll turn a corner and discover a larger-than-life work of art that is transforming lives.