The Butterfly Project
The Butterfly Project is a global initiative aimed at combating hatred and bigotry by educating people about the Holocaust through education, art, and memorial-making. Suitable for school settings and community groups, the program was started in 2006 in San Diego, California, by educator Jan Landau and artist Cheryl Rattner Price, as a gentle yet effective way to teach children about the Holocaust and to remember the 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered.
The program is built around ceramic butterflies that participants paint while learning about a child who was murdered during the Holocaust. These butterflies are then glazed and installed in permanent displays to serve as reminders of courage, justice, remembrance, and hope. The idea was inspired by the poem "The Butterfly," written by a young prisoner at the Terezin concentration camp.
In 2023, the Virginia Holocaust Museum joined the initiative, becoming one of more than 200 organizations worldwide participating in this meaningful project. Our butterflies will be installed in a mural located at the museum’s front entrance.
In the Classroom
The Butterfly Project is ideal for 4th - 12th grade students. After learning about the Holocaust, students can paint a butterfly and join other students in creating and collectively displaying ceramic butterflies in a memorial display at the Virginia Holocaust Museum (VHM) in Richmond, Virginia. The Butterfly Project kits are available to classrooms across the Commonwealth of Virginia free of charge.
Steps To Get Started
Step 1
Click HERE and complete this form to reserve butterflies for your students. We kindly ask that teachers local to Richmond pick up their butterfly kits. Teachers further away can have their kits shipped directly to them. Kits include ceramic butterflies, paint brushes, glaze, and biography cards that tell the individual story of a child who was killed during the Holocaust.
Step 2
Once we have received your request, please allow 7-10 business days for your butterflies to be shipped to you or to be ready for pickup at the Virginia Holocaust Museum.
Step 3
While you are waiting for your butterflies to arrive, we ask that you use the Museum’s lesson plan to help support and contextualize your study of the Holocaust. Here are some additional classroom resources.
- The Butterfly Project - thebutterflyprojectnow.org
- Simon Wiesenthal Center - teachers.museumoftolerance.com
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - ushmm.org/education/foreducators/
This is a great opportunity for cross-curricular instruction with social studies, language arts and art.
Step 4
When your butterflies arrive, each student should paint one ceramic butterfly using the glaze provided. Along with the butterfly, each student should also receive one individual biography card- students will paint their butterfly in memory of the child. Please give students enough time to read their biography card, they should be reading, reflecting and connecting. We also recommend that prior to painting students say aloud (one by one) the name of the child they are painting the butterfly for. Paint your butterfly! Please only paint the front and sides of the butterfly. Do not paint the back.
Step 5
Once the butterflies have been painted, please return them to the Museum using the same box they arrived in. If you are shipping them back, use the shipping label provided for you. Please make sure the butterflies are in the bubble wrap they arrived in, so they are not damaged during their journey back to Richmond.
Step 6
Your butterflies will then be fired and used for an installation at the Museum, serving as a memorial to the 1.5 million children murdered during the Holocaust.
Step 7
You will receive updates regarding the installation that the Museum is creating using the butterflies. When the memorial is complete, we invite you to come visit the Virginia Holocaust Museum to view the display.
If you have any questions, please contact our Director of Public and Student Programs, Kate Adams, at kadams@vaholocuast.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the butterflies made of?
Our butterflies are made of low-fire white clay and have received their first bisque firing.
What kinds of glazes are provided?
We supply low-fire underglazes that kiln-fire to a satin sheen.
Should we paint all sides of the butterfly?
NO. The backside of the butterflies should remain free of all glaze, or the butterflies fuse to the kiln shelf during firing.
Can we add details to the butterflies with paint or markers?
NO. Only paint the butterflies with the glazes provided by TBP in your kit. Any other paint or markers will burn away in the kiln.
Should we write our names on the backs of butterflies?
NO. Although we understand the desire participants have to identify their butterflies, any writing or painting on the backs of the butterflies will burn off in the kiln firing and/or damage the kiln shelf.
Will the glaze stain our clothing and our hands?
NO. The glaze provided will easily wash off.
When will the memorial installation be complete?
That is to be determined, as this is an ongoing project and we will need to have enough butterflies to create a display.We will keep participants updated on our progress.