We exercise to make our bodies healthy. But what do we do to keep our mind fit? We celebrate all things artistic. As part of our city’s 300th birthday celebration, the Westfield Public Arts Commission put together their very first Westfield Art Takes Flight exhibit to showcase the talent of local artists and the greatness of our fine city.
What: Westfield Art Takes Flight Public Art Stroll
Where: Downtown Westfield
When: Saturday, August 8th, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Westfield Art Takes Flight 2020
The Westfield Public Arts Commission formed last year with the authorization of Mayor Brindle. Dawn Mackey with the Town Council and Bob Zuckerman with the Downtown Westfield Corporation oversee several resident volunteers as part of the commission. They reached out to local artists to help them come up with butterfly designs for the Westfield 300 celebration this year. From 75 very impressive submissions, they chose 30 for the exhibit. Each butterfly represents one decade in Westfield’s history. The designs are as varied as the artists. The exhibit itself stays on public display all around the downtown area until fall. Residents and visitors are welcome to view them at any time. Download a map to find the location of each butterfly.
Public Art Stroll
As part of its opening weekend festivities, organizers created a Public Art Stroll on Saturday, August 8th. From 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, take a nice walk around the downtown area to see these gorgeous fiberglass butterflies. At each butterfly, you will find the artist ready and willing to talk about their work, including their inspiration and how they created their particular butterfly. Masks and social distancing rules apply at each artist stop along the way. If it rains on Saturday, the Public Art Stroll scheduled August 9th for its raincheck date. While the forecast calls for cloudy weather, the weatherman says we shouldn’t expect rain.
Once the exhibit closes in the fall, the commission will be auctioning off some of the butterflies. All money raised from this auction benefits future public artwork exhibits. The ones that aren’t auctioned off will be on permanent display in City parks.