Butterfly Garden Promotes Hope and Healing

June 12, 2023

On March 13, members of the MSU community gathered at the International Center on campus for the installation of the butterfly garden exhibit, “Together We Heal, Grow and Soar,” featuring folded paper butterflies. Organized by AgeAlive, a program in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Asian Studies Center’s Japan Council, the exhibition includes thousands of paper butterflies made by MSU students, faculty and staff, as well as local residents. Participants wrote messages of hope on each butterfly. 

The exhibits are designed, created and installed by Zahrah Resh, AgeAlive’s artist-in-residence. Resh’s first garden was installed at the Spectrum Health Cancer Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, inspired by her own cancer survival story.

“The project brings people together,” said Resh, who’s based in Lansing. “It gives people a sense of belonging and a sense of pride and accomplishment because they contributed to a community project for everyone to see and enjoy.”