The Monarch installation by Olivia Barrionuevo was revelatory in its beauty and artistic vision. Utilizing something so simple and so wondrous in the natural world to define and understand our sense of migration mitigated the rancorous voices that have surrounded our thoughts and divisions about the issue. The Monarch butterflies’ 3,000 mile journeys to and from their hibernation in Michoacan belies our ideas of what migration is. This vision of Olivia’s, a gentle and subtle reminder, closes the distance from our relationship with nature. We are all migrants of a sort and our intrepid lives are redeemed through our kindness, humanity, and our art. Olivia’s brilliant work and her butterflies float in the air as a perfect reminder of who we should be.
Tubac, AZ (USA)
