An art exhibit of paper butterflies created at schools, nursing homes and long-term care facilities are currently on display at the Hannah Community Center. (Courtesy photo)

Paper Butterfly Exhibit at Hannah Community Center Raises Awareness for Michigan’s Direct Care Workforce Crisis

The Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index projects that over the next decade, the state will be short of more than 170,000 needed home healthcare aides. IMPART Alliance of Michigan State University is raising awareness about the role direct care workers play in our communities with a paper butterfly garden art installation at East Lansing’s Hannah Community Center. 

The installation is the creation of East Lansing artist Zahrah Resh. Resh won recognition with a similar piece in Grand Rapid’s ArtPrize competition, being selected as one of the 25 best pieces in 2017. That installation featured more than 6,500 butterflies created by cancer patients and their families. 

This iteration has been created at schools, nursing homes and long-term care facilities, according to Project Manager Rochelle Berry. The community can view the full display starting Monday, Nov. 17.

“They create butterflies from those painted papers,” she said, “taking a mental health moment where they can write a motto, prayer, wish, word of inspiration or memory. It gets folded into the butterfly, which then becomes part of the art installation that Zahrah Resh puts together.”

The paper butterflies displayed at the Hannah Community Center were created at schools, nursing homes and long-term care facilities have inspiring words folded into them. (Courtesy photo)

Resh said that most of the pieces she installs the butterflies on are built in her Grand Ledge studio, and the installation at Hannah will take about a week to put in place. She finds inspiration collaborating with those who make the paper butterflies.

“When we come together for these workshops,” she told ELi in a phone interview, “we talk a lot about what it means to belong to a community, that you’re not alone, that you’re part of something bigger. When people see hundreds of butterflies painted and folded together, it’s amazing. You really should come see the exhibit.”

Berry told ELi that IMPART Alliance advocates for direct care workers and recruits people into the industry.

“There’s a 36,000-person shortage,” she said. “Family members are really having to step up. There’s a huge advocacy piece to this — getting fair wages and attracting the caliber of people needed to fill those spots.”

IMPART creates and offers tiered level training for direct care workers, allowing them to elevate their work, Berry said. The garden will also educate people on what a direct care worker is.

“When I first started working on this project,” she said, “I’d never heard that term [direct care worker] before. A lot of terms are used interchangeably, but universally we’re trying to use ‘direct care worker’ to encompass all those who are caring for others.”

The project is made possible by a grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The public can view the installation for six months at Hannah Community Center starting on Monday, November 17.

“What’s inspirational is when you look at these exhibits and see the butterflies,” Berry said, “you know there are hidden messages in each one. Together, they say, ‘I matter. Direct care workers matter.’ It’s our way of building awareness and advocating for them while also educating people about the profession and recruiting to help fill those 36,000 slots.”