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

Paper butterflies being displayed on a wall

Ishpeming Senior Center displays ‘A Caregivers Butterfly Garden’

February 23, 2026 - Butterfly Gardens Care Workforce Community Engagement Media Coverage

ISHPEMING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Over the next year at the Ishpeming Senior Center, a commemorative handmade installation can be found throughout it’s hallways and community spaces, representing the community of its workers who do so much to care for others. The display is called A…

Fourth Installation of A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden Opens at Ishpeming Multi-Purpose Senior Center

For Immediate Release

February 19, 2026 - Advocacy Butterfly Gardens Care Workforce Community Engagement Education News News Releases Youth Involvement

The fourth installation of A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden, a statewide traveling art and advocacy exhibit honoring direct care workers and caregivers, opens February 19 at the Ishpeming Multi-Purpose Senior Center, 121 Greenwood St., in Ishpeming. The exhibit marks the first installation in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula…

View Press Release

Two women hold paper butterflies for a report on TV6 news.

A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden coming to Ishpeming Senior Center

February 18, 2026 - Butterfly Gardens Care Workforce Community Engagement Media Coverage

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden is coming to the Upper Peninsula for the first time. Ishpeming Multi-Purpose Senior Center Executive Director Ashley Roberts talked to TV6’s Mandy Koskela ahead of opening day on February 19. “It’s huge. We’re so excited because we…