UW-Green Bay artists auction ‘Butterflies and Friends’

At least two artists involved in the popular and annual Butterflies and Friends on Parade display and benefit have UW-Green Bay connections.

UW-Green Bay senior Communication (photography and journalism) student Whitney Robertson created “Cozy Quirtle” (pictured above) and former staff member Frances Coates (art education) created Homage to Maria Sibylla Merian.

Coates’ inspiration came from the artistry and adventure of Maria Sibylla Merian and her “Urania moth (featured on plate 29 in Maria’s Insects of Surinam, 1705).” Merian, born in 1647 in Germany, was a naturalist and scientific illustrator.

Robertson said her “cozy buddy” was inspired mainly by the comforts of home and calming nature of familiar objects. “I also love knitting and sewing, so he ties in my love for these crafts as well,” she said.

The annual event, now it its 10th year, displays the art on Green Bay’s riverfront, and auctions it to profit The Einstein Project, a non-profit organization providing affordable and engaging science materials and teacher training to advance science knowledge in local schools.

The items are up for auction this Thursday, Sept. 20 at the KI Convention Center Green Bay. See all the Butterflies and Friends and details of Thursday’s event – click here.