What's Happening in Raleigh, NC…

Butterflies have been spotted “swarming” at the Raleigh Convention Center.

The butterflies are actually an art installation by Leah Sobsey, who has placed 300 of the winged insect made of cyanotype in the main lobby of the Raleigh Convection Center. The work has been exhibited in galleries and hotels throughout the country, and will now greet visitors to the center, bringing a touch of color to the immense lobby, which covers 9,000 square feet. Brochure printing can be used to explain works like this to visitors.

The cyanotype process creates an image of blue on white, and is the traditional way in which Blueprints are created. In the convention center, the colorful butterflies, which follow the main staircase, stand out against the limestone walls. The convention center supported Raleigh Arts in adding the new work to the Raleigh Municipal Art Collection.

The general manager and director of the center, Kerry Painter, noted that the center has traditionally shone a light on artists from the local area, and from the state. That tradition, the impact made by the large installation, and the fact it is based on nature, made “Swarm” a good “fit” for the space.

In order to make the work, Sobsey scanned the specimens found in the insect collections of the U.S. National Park Service, and then created the cyanotypes. Sobsey is a photographer, as well as a professor at the University of North Carolina's campus in Greensboro. Her work is found in collections throughout the nation.



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