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.
A Caregiver’s Butterfly Garden is our response to that injustice. We are transforming blank paper into a statewide movement—through art, advocacy, and storytelling—to bring visibility to those who care for our most vulnerable. The garden is a public art installation composed of thousands of hand-crafted butterflies, each one a symbol of care, metamorphosis, and resilience.
The installation opens this summer at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, thanks to a unique partnership between IMPART Alliance and AgeAlive. The exhibit is a love letter to caregivers—and an urgent call to action. Michigan faces a shortage of 36,000 DCWs. This is not just a workforce crisis; it is a care crisis.
Join us. Visit the exhibit. Sponsor a butterfly. Host a workshop. Consider a career in care.
Together, we can uplift those who uplift us all.
Want to learn more or host in 2026? Visit our Butterfly Gardens page to explore the opportunity and get involved!
