Installations

Yes. Installation of your painted and fired ceramic butterflies is a requirement of participation in The Butterfly Project. The Butterfly Project is a global memorial honoring the memory of children killed in the Holocaust, so the use of ceramic butterflies as a take-home art project is also not permitted. Each installation is a continuing teaching tool, and the creation of an installation in your community is an important part of The Butterfly Project. Each installation may look different, and semi-permanent options are acceptable. If you are unsure of your ability to create a permanent, semi-permanent, or temporary installation, please reach out to our team at info@thebutterflyprojectnow.org.

For on interior or exterior school vertical walls made of plaster, sheetrock, wood,brick, stucco or concrete, a product that we use that is very cost efficient is Thinset Versabond Mortar. This  can be found at Home Depot and comes in grey and white, we usually recommend the grey color

When used for walls, mix this product a bit thicker for less “slide” of the mounted butterflies while drying. Putting a light strip of blue painters tape over the top of mounted butterfly for 10 minutes will also keep in place. Recommendation: Don’t mix too thin, make it  the consistency of peanut butter. This can be found at Home Depot, in powder and now in pre mixed containers:

• Thinset Mortar Amazon Premixed 
• Thinset Mortar Powder Home Depot

Liquid Nails, E6000 or Gorilla Glue work great, but can be a bit runny, recommend using blue painter’s tape to lightly adhere after the butterflies are placed on wall:

• Liquid Nails, Home Depot various sizes avail
• E6000 Adhesive Home Depot

We request that the butterflies are fired in a kiln to Cone 05. This makes them impervious to absorbing water and cracking due to the outdoor elements.

Yes, as long as the butterflies are fired with glaze in a kiln they can be attached to outside walls in locations that have inclement weather. Acrylic paint on butterflies is not recommended for outdoor installations.

Many schools have walls that need a reboot, hallways and benches that can be quite well suited for butterflies to be added each year. School gardens, peace poles and surrounding windows and over doors can be visually impactful as well. Email us for support if needed at info@thebutterflyprojectnow.org.

Yes, for best durability, the colored underglazes that come in our butterfly kits need that top coat to make stronger and more lustrous. Most participants find a ceramic studio that helps them to fire…they  might do it for free or charges a nominal amount  for the firing, usually $15-25 a kit.

Either the participants buys LOW FIRE TOP GLAZE,  and brings to the ceramic studio, or they have it on hand. Most kiln operators prefer to put the top glaze on themselves to insure that the glaze is not on the bottom of the butterfly which can make it adhere to the kiln. They might allow you to do the application if you wipe the bottoms clean and then save them the labor. This top coat fires to the same temperature as the underglaze provided in the kits (which is a bisque temperature, making it possible for kiln operator to add butterflies that are glazed to the same kiln that they might be firing unglazed pottery of their own.We request that the butterflies are fired in a kiln to Cone 05. This makes them impervious to absorbing water and cracking due to the outdoor elements. 

It is not absolutely essential to put this top glaze, our included underglazes will have a sheen, but with the top glaze, they become very shiny and more watertight.

Here’s are examples of top clear glaze:

• Duncan Low Fire Clear Glaze
• Mayco Brand S101 Chrystal Clear Glaze