Caregiver’s Butterfly Gardens

Celebrate Caregivers

Every butterfly in this exhibit is handmade by and for Michigan’s Direct Care Workers—unsung heroes in homes, care facilities, and communities statewide.

Activate Community

Direct Care Workers and communities from across Michigan come together to create, reflect, and engage in the healing power of art.

Spark a Movement!

This is more than an exhibit. It’s a statewide call to action to elevate the caregiving profession and bridge the gap in Michigan’s care workforce.

Our Story

Block image Saugatuck Center for the Arts Butterflies

A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden is a statewide, traveling public art project designed to honor Michigan’s 165,000+ Direct Care Workers (DCWs) — the unsung heroes who provide hands-on care to people across the lifespan. Co-created by IMPART Alliance and AgeAlive, this project uses large-scale, immersive garden installations made of hand-crafted butterflies and botanicals to spotlight care, resilience, and joy.

This project has been made possible through a grant awarded to IMPART Alliance by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

About IMPART Alliance

Our Goals

Uplift and recognize Michigan’s Direct Care Workers
Provide community-based opportunities for artmaking, healing, and education
Encourage advocacy and solutions for the DCW shortage
Engage communities in intergenerational and multicultural expression
Celebrate the joy and beauty of life through art

About Zahrah

Zahrah Resh, artist in residence for IMPART Alliance, is a contemporary artist residing in East Lansing, Michigan.

Zahrah’s artistic journey began as a young girl growing up in the tropics surrounded by lush colors and flavors. She had her own battle with a life-threatening illness which not only inspired her creativity, but makes her a perfect match to lead the “A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden” project.

Get Involved!

Volunteer

Lend a hand, lift a heart.
Help make butterflies, prep kits, or join us on site—no experience needed.

Host

Bring the garden to your city.
Find out how to host a creative station, workshop, or full exhibit in your community.

Sponsor

Help beauty take flight.
Support a grassroots movement that honors caregivers and builds awareness statewide.

Visit

Step inside the garden.
Experience the healing, color, and community of this living art installation near you.

Find More Ways to Get Involved

In The Media

Why Michigan Needs to Celebrate—and Support—Its Caregivers

By Rochelle Berry, Project Manager, “A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden” Traveling Exhibit

April 23, 2025 - Butterfly Gardens

Every day, more than 165,000 Direct Care Workers in Michigan make it possible for people to live with dignity, safety, and comfort. They are caregivers, companions, advocates, and lifelines. And yet, they are too often invisible.

East Lansing Students Bring Color and Care to Statewide Butterfly Garden Campaign

April 17, 2025 - Butterfly Gardens

An East Lansing High School classroom buzzed with creativity this week as students participated in a Kaleidoscope Painting Workshop, part of A Caregiver's Butterfly Garden, a statewide public art initiative led by artist Zahrah Resh and Michigan State University’s IMPART Alliance in partnership with…

Behind the Wings: Building A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden

March 1, 2025 - Butterfly Gardens

Before the first butterfly fluttered onto the wall of the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, it began as a single sheet of white paper in someone’s hands. A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden is a collaborative, evolving art installation made possible by Direct Care Workers, students, volunteers,…