By Samuel Asher
On April 3, the Museum unveiled the Henri Maizels Memorial Butterfly Garden mural, a vibrant installation featuring 300 brightly colored ceramic butterflies.
The mural is part of The Butterfly Project, a global initiative honoring the 1.5 million children murdered during the Holocaust through art and education.
The garden honors Henri Maizels, a Holocaust Survivor and longtime Richmond resident, who passed away in 2023.
At the unveiling, Max Maizels, Judith Levine Maizels, Danielle Maizels, placed the first three butterflies the garden. The project was made possible by generous donations from members of the Maizels family: Max Maizels, Sherri Thaxton, Doris Chance, Morris Willner, Judith Levine Maizels, Danielle Maizels, Nathan Maizels and Neena Maizels.
We were honored to welcome 15 honor students from Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, who joined us to begin installing over 700 ceramic butterflies, each symbolizing the memory of children who perished in the Holocaust.
At Great Bridge, approximately 300 students took part in painting the ceramic butterflies over many months
We were honored to welcome representatives from The Butterfly Project headquarters in California, as well as members from Henri Maizels’ family who placed the first three butterflies in the garden.
Also, we were joined by WRIC-TV8, WTVR, Richmond Family Magazine, and the Virginia Free Press. ( Visit Channel 6 and 8 websites to see the filmed segments.
After months of preparation, witnessing the garden fill with vibrant, hand-crafted butterflies was truly moving. And this is just the beginning! More than 8,000 additional butterflies are being created by children across the Commonwealth.
