Philadelphia Public Art @philart.net

Content: Butterflies and Other Insects

Butterfly
Harold Kimmelman, 1970
* big abstract butterfly
* South side of Delancey West of 2nd.
* 39.943625,-75.145700 [map] [nearby]
* On the Society Hill tour
* See also:
+artist's page for this piece
+hksculpt.com

Metamorphosis
Josh Sarantitis, 2001
* big butterflies
* The mural is included on this site because of the butterflies, which were cut from metal by men from the Ridge Avenue Shelter
* Wall. Southwest side of Ridge, Southeast of Broad and Fairmount.
* 39.965450,-75.160025 [map] [nearby]
* On the Fairmount tour
* See also:
+joshsarantitis.com

Stinger
John Parker, 2005
* abstract insect
* West corner of the driveway, Park Towne Place. South side of the Parkway, West of 22nd.
* 39.961020,-75.177810 [map] [nearby]
* On the Parkway and Pennsylvania tour
* See also:
+publicartarchive.org's page for this piece
+publicartarchive.org's John Parker page
+parktowneapthomes.com

Metamorphosis
Cheryl Levin, Robert Phillips, 2006
* big and small insects, building (Girard College), elephant, food (including a mug of beer), giraffe, gorilla, partial standing person, musical instrument, plants, ship, sun and moon, tiger, tools, train and trolley, water
* The insects are by Phillips, the mosaics are by Levin and Mural Corps youth.
* inscription:
a sculptural and mosaic
public art project
dedicated to the community
and its cycles of change
* Railroad crossing bridge. Girard between 31st and Poplar Drive.
* 39.975050,-75.187225 [map] [nearby]
* On the Fairmount tour
* Exhibits: Mosaic, Mass Transit
* See also:
+publicartarchive.org's page for this piece
+cheryllevin.org
+cheryllevin.org's Bob Phillips Gallery

Tribute to Alex Scott
Robert Minervini, 2007
* unattributed quote from, tribute to Marjorie Wright Miller and Alex Scott
* big butterflies, misquoted poetry
* This entry is for the sculptural element, which is the Butterfly Fence. The mural itself is shown in the last picture. The actual inscription on the fence is a misquote of a poem attributed elsewhere to Marjorie Wright Miller, with "Grabs" instead of "Garbs" and an extraneous apostrophe in "its".
* inscription: (along Lancaster Ave.)
The smallest flower that breathes but a day Distills its fragrance into sweet perfume Garbs itself with grace in bright array. Exquisite, brief intensity in bloom. Whether the notes of life are short or long, From end to end what matters is the song.
* Fence. Parrish and Lancaster.
* 39.968040,-75.210450 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+publicartarchive.org's page for this piece
+robertminervini.com
+findagrave.com's Marjorie Wright Miller page
+wikipedia.org's Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation page
+alexslemonade.org

Big Daddylonglegs
John Parker, 2015
* big abstract insect
* North corner of the driveway, Park Towne Place. South side of the Parkway, West of 22nd.
* 39.961340,-75.177140 [map] [nearby]
* On the Parkway and Pennsylvania tour
* See also:
+publicartarchive.org's page for this piece
+publicartarchive.org's John Parker page
+parktowneapthomes.com

4 Seasons
Mike Smash, 2003
* sun and moon, dragonfly, plants and leaves
* Bottom of the North wall. Hawthorne Cultural Center. South side of Carpenter, West of 12th.
* 39.938550,-75.163000 [map] [nearby]
* On the South Philly tour
* See also:
+publicartarchive.org's Mike Smash page

City Hall, East Pavilion
Alexander Milne Calder, 1873 - 1893
* beaver, crane and owl, butterfly, plants, elephant head, dragon heads, City Hall tower, city seal, ship, plow and scales, scrolls, standing people, reclining people, heads, headgear
* Part of the whole building's art. East entrance City Hall. Market at Juniper.
* 39.952300,-75.162800 [map] [nearby]
* On the City Hall tour
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Alexander Milne Calder page
+philadelphiabuildings.org's City Hall page
+wikipedia.org's City Hall page

Rittenhouse Square Fountain
Paul Philippe Cret (Architect), 1913
* small head, turtles, insects, snail, otter?, fountain
* Center of Rittenhouse Square. Southwest from 18th and Walnut.
* 39.949290,-75.171740 [map] [nearby]
* On the Rittenhouse Square tour
* Exhibits: Favorites, Mosaic
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Paul Philippe Cret page
+wikipedia.org's Rittenhouse Square page
+friendsofrittenhouse.org

Wissahickon Valley Gate
Christopher T. Ray, 1979
* plants, owl, insect
* Gate. South end of John F. Collins Park. North side of Chestnut, West of 17th.
* 39.951600,-75.169100 [map] [nearby]
* On the Rittenhouse Square tour
* See also:
+chrisray.com
+centercityphila.org's John F. Collins Park page

Cinema Verde
Dennis Haugh, 2006
* big bird houses, head, bees
* Originally listed as "Cohocksink: Stand in the place where you live", but as of 12/12/2024 this title is consistent with the artist's website and publicartarchive.org. Mural included because of the constructed birdhouses, and the cutout face and bees. Two detail pictures of purely mural elements are also shown.
* Wall. South side of Liberty Lands Park. East side of 3rd, North of Poplar.
* 39.965260,-75.142100 [map] [nearby]
* On the Northern Liberties tour
* See also:
+publicartarchive.org's page for this piece
+dennishaugh.com
+publicartarchive.org's Dennis Haugh page
+pps.org's Liberty Lands page

Landscape Junk Assemblage
Tom Deininger, 2011
* plants, clouds, butterflies
* Clearly visible through the window on Arch. If you're lucky the guard will let you inside. I do not have an actual title for this piece. "Landscape Junk Assemblages" is the artist's name for this category of work.
* Lobby. South side of Arch, East of 17th.
* 39.954850,-75.167800 [map] [nearby]
* On the JFK North tour
* See also:
+projectvortex.org's Tom Deininger's page

Nicetown Park Tiles
* small words, abstract images, plants, butterflies, earth and sun
* Many of the tiles are damaged or missing
* Wall. Nicetown Park. East side of Germantown, North of St. Pauls.
* 40.019400,-75.155760 [map] [nearby]
* On the Germantown Avenue tour
* Exhibits: Religious, Unidentified
* See also:
+myphillypark.org's Nicetown Park page

University Museum Medallions
John Ross, 1899
* two people, one standing, one sitting, headgear, scarab, sphinx
* Walls of the Lower Courtyard. Penn Museum. South side of South, East of 33rd.
* 39.949160,-75.191140 [map] [nearby]
* On the Penn Campus tour
* See also:
+penn.museum

Water Under the Bridge
Beth Clevenstine, Paul Santoleri, 2015
* big water, fish, plants, turtles, butterfly
* The deer was just hanging out next to the walkway as I was taking pictures.
* Walkway stairs and walls. Fountain Street Steps. Between the South side of Umbria at Fountain Street and the Manayunk Canal.
* 40.032100,-75.233100 [map] [nearby]
* On the Manayunk tour
* Exhibits: New, Mosaic
* See also:
+muralarts.org page for this piece
+bethclevenstine.com
+paulsantoleri.com

River of Life
Masayuki Nagase, 2014
* big and small water, rocks, furniture, birds, fish, insects, plants, turtle
* inscription:
plaque: Hand carved granite benches, sculptural boulders, and engraved tile pavers and medallions depicting images of local flora, fauna, and water patterns. An original artwork commissioned by The City of Philadelphia Percent for Art Program and The Philadelphia Water Department
rock: Venice Island is the legacy of 19th century urbanization. In 1819 a three mile sliver of schist was sliced away from Manayunk by a narrow canal that supplied the textile mills on the Island. Today, this site location led the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) to install a subsurface Combined Sewer Overflow Tank. This tank holds nearly 1 million gallons of a mixture of sewage and storm water during rain events, preventing untreated wastewater from flowing into the Schuylkill River.
To enable the use of the island for this essential river protection project, PWD committed to a full scale reconstruction of the Venice Island's recreation facilities. PWD worked with its sister city agencies and the neighborhood in the master planning process. This site uses the best in sustainable storm water management, ecological design and restoration to provide a much needed public place in the heart of Manayunk that addresses multiple needs - recreation, environmental protection, commerce and open space.
The revitalized space reflects the Island's industrial heritage, local building techniques and the vibrant natural history along the Schuylkill River, all the while meeting the rigorous challenges of creating a safe city park in the floodway. This park resides at the intersection of nature and city, striving to bring both closer.
* Multi-level plaza. Venice Island. Across the canal off Main and Cotton.
* 40.023810,-75.222675 [map] [nearby]
* On the Manayunk tour
* See also:
+mnagase.com
+veniceisland.org