The Lamplighter Effect

Caroline Belanger. The Lamplighter Effect, 2020. Mixed media on canvas, with Plexiglas box. 48 x 60 x 3 3/4 in. (122.0 x 152.4 x 9.6 cm). The Lamplighter School, Dallas, Texas

Over the past couple months, I have been privileged to work on an amazing project with my daughter’s school, The Lamplighter School. Lamplighter is the most magical school teaching children to love learning, each other, and the world around us. I could go on and on about how much we love this school, but that’s not why you are here! However, I will say that this school has embraced our creative family with such enthusiasm that they are always finding inventive ways for us to be involved. 

This project was born out of an idea to make a collaborative art piece with all the students to sell at the school’s annual auction fundraiser. The theme: One Earth, One Lamplighter. The iconic symbol for this event: the butterfly. The symbolism may or may not be obvious, but to be clear – the butterfly has been granted deep meaning by nearly all civilizations and spiritual traditions on Earth. Butterflies signify life and personal transformation. Nothing could be more apropos for describing your child’s experience at Lamplighter. The concept formed: a swarm, or rather kaleidoscope, of butterflies taking off into the great unknown.

I give my accomplice, Margaret Morse, all the credit for the initial stages of this project. She worked with the school’s art teacher, Lizzie Bumpas, to have the kids paint paper with fabulous combinations of color. Margaret then took the time to cut all the butterflies! My role was to step in and turn all of this into something big and bold. Ironically, I was already in the process of developing Paper Scissors Art, so the timing was perfect. There was a lot to accomplish in a short period of time. We had to experiment with materials, build the appropriate base, and decide how it should be displayed. Once we had all those details ironed out, it was time to create a masterpiece that conveyed the joy and hope we see in each Lamplighter student.

I began by studying butterfly migrations and how butterflies swarm. At times, butterflies flutter with seemingly random purpose, or swarm together for warmth, or quite boldly take off on their own. I wanted this piece to illustrate the nascent stages of the Pre-K years all the way through to the 4th grade seniors ready to break off on their own, full of color, confidence, and determination.  All the while, remaining delicate and connected as they circle through life. It’s the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change can result in large differences in a later state: The Lamplighter Effect.