Saugatuck Center for the Arts

Step into a garden where every butterfly tells a story.

A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden is a vibrant, immersive art installation hosted by the Saugatuck Center for the Arts in partnership with IMPART Alliance and AgeAlive at Michigan State University. This evolving exhibit celebrates and honors Michigan’s Direct Care Workers (DCWs)—the essential, often unsung heroes who support older adults and individuals living with disabilities across the state.

The Saugatuck installation marks the pilot site of this statewide public art campaign, featuring thousands of hand-crafted butterflies painted and folded by caregivers, students, families, and community members from all walks of life. Each butterfly represents strength, transformation, and the personal touch of someone whose life has been touched by caregiving—whether giving or receiving.

Designed by Zahrah Resh, Artist-in-Residence for IMPART Alliance, the exhibit invites guests to wander through larger-than-life floral installations, pause to read heartfelt messages from Direct Care Workers, and engage with interactive elements that reflect the beauty and complexity of caregiving. The result is both uplifting and humbling—a living tapestry of color, compassion, and community engagement.

This exhibit is more than art. It’s part of a grassroots movement to address Michigan’s growing DCW shortage and to increase public awareness of the emotional and economic value of caregiving work. Through creativity and storytelling, the garden creates space for recognition, healing, and advocacy.

Throughout the year, the Saugatuck Center for the Arts will also host complementary programming—including hands-on artmaking workshops, community storytelling events, and opportunities for guests to create and submit their own butterflies to future installations.

Visitors, sponsors, and volunteers are invited to be part of this transformational movement—because when we lift up caregivers, we uplift entire communities.