Fla. Museum hosts “Butterflies and Moths in Contemporary Zuni
Art ” exhibit GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Visitors to the Florida Museum
of Natural History can discover how butterflies have influenced
Zuni Indian art in a new exhibit,“Butterflies and Moths in
Contemporary Zuni Art .” The exhibit is on display through 2008.
This temporary exhibit highlights the role of butterflies in the
belief system and art of contemporary Zuni people, Native
Americans who live in the high desert of the American Southwest.
Many Zuni traditional arts feature butterflies and moths, and
this tradition continues today in their fine arts, crafts and
tourist art forms. “From T-shirts to jewelry, butterflies have
found their way into a broad array of Zuni folk art and fine art
– sometimes whimsical, other times beautiful,” said Darcie
MacMahon, director of exhibits for the Florida Museum. “These
works echo the importance of butterflies and moths in many
cultural traditions, and also make clear the lively nature of
Zuni art today.” For the Zu