American Museum of Natural History:
The Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium Window Display

This project creates a striking window display for theAmerican Museum of Natural History’s Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium, using bold scales and vibrant colors to attract visitors. Designed to emulate a perspective, the display features a proscenium that resembles a camera lens for a “larger-than-life” experience. Large, bright pink hibiscus flowers made from thick crepe paper are set against a softly blurred background. At the center is a giant 6-foot-long hand, crafted from chicken wire, paper, and dry com pound, symbolizing the joyful interaction between visitors and butterflies. A child mannequin dressed as a butterfly highlights the delicate beauty of these creatures in their natural habitat.

Construction

Formed the hand structure using chicken wire.
Wrapped and coated the chicken wire structure with a layer of paper mache.
Applied a layer of dry com- pound over the paper mache to create a smooth surface.
Sanded the compound layer to remove any imperfections once dried.
Painted the entire sculpture black to achieve the final look.

Materials