Photos courtesy of The Rye Rotary
An outdoor exhibition of large-scale butterfly sculptures preludes an online auction to benefit two great causes in Westchester County.
Notice something different about Rye lately? Through mid-September, 11 giant sculptural butterflies will be on show in the town’s Village Green as part of The Rotary Club of Rye and The Rye Arts Center’s “Rye’sAbove” project. Funded in part by ArtsWestchester and the New York State Council on the Arts, the project entailed the production of 36 aluminum-alloy sculptures, in three different sizes, which artists from across both the county and the country have transformed into attractive public works.
In tandem with the exhibition, an online auction, whose proceeds will benefit both the Rye Rotary and Rye Arts Center, is taking place now at accelevents.com/e/RyesAbove. Designed to enrich the community while supporting area educational programs, the exhibition and its attendant auction engender an appealing element to Rye’s downtown that will simultaneously strengthen two area nonprofits in their respective missions.
For Richard Sgaglio, director of public relations at the Rotary Club of Rye and VP of marketing & development for The Osborn, the project was a welcome boost for many during an incredibly difficult time. “What I think is so special about this project is the symbolism that butterflies represent. Following a year of hardship throughout the world, these gorgeous creatures have emerged in our community as a symbol of hope and rebirth at a time when we need it most,” says Sgaglio. “The time could not be more appropriate for the metamorphosis that has taken place on the Village Green, and we are overjoyed about the positive feedback we have received.”
The online auction for the Rye’sAbove butterflies will continue live through September 21.
