“Butterflies are self-propelled flowers.” R.H. Heinlein

“Love is like a butterfly: It goes where it pleases and pleases wherever it goes.”   Unknown

“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.” Hans Christian Anderson

Today, we offer our final view of Gateway Gardens, one of four butterflies hovering high above the ground. In addition to the trees, many of the pieces of artwork are intended to provide shade for visitors. Each butterfly is 4′ tall by 6′ wide and extends 12′ from the ground, attached by a round, steel tubing arm. The coloring comes from acrylic and polycarbonate. See sculptor Erik Beerbower’s 2004 drawing of the four butterflies here. The drawing helps you conceptualize how the quartet looks installed in Gateway Gardens. In 2009, we featured Erik’s butterflies BEFORE they took flight (here), when they were still back at Erik’s Lyndon Street studio. In case you’re wondering, all four of the butterfly sculptures have been sold/sponsored at the $50,000 level; so that naming opportunity has been missed. However, many others are still available through Gateway Gardens’ main website under donors and opportunities. If you want to see drawings of the rest of the sculptures, enjoy them here.

Let’s hope that some of our friends from around the world who visit today through Skywatch Friday or the City Daily Photo community will actually have a chance to visit Greensboro’s Gateway Gardens in person. If you author one of the world’s city daily photo sites, we’ll make every effort to provide you with a personal tour. Just don’t all (+/-) 1,500 of you come at once…. or do!