Landscape, Art, and Ecology

The Migrants Connection and Advocate Artists

The monarch butterfly has now become the representational beauty of migration. Favianna Rodriguez, a printmaker and digital artist that highly influenced this movement explains

People and animals alike belong to nature, and nature has no borders. The butterfly is a symbol for the right of all living beings to move freely. Like the monarch butterfly, human beings cross borders in search of safer habitats.³⁰

They symbolize transformation and renewal, as their life cycle from caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly is a metaphorical journey that many immigrants can relate to. In a moving documentary series titled "Voice of Art - Migration is Beautiful”, Rodriguez addresses the debate surrounding immigration policy in the US, and the overall perception of immigrants. She also sheds light on the growing influence of artists in the political realm. In an interview, Rodriguez affirms

Art can spark the imagination like nothing else can, and yet I think that progressives do not fully understand the powerful role that artists can play in social change. The anti-immigrant movement has successfully been able to dominate the immigration debate by pushing out messages about migrants that are inhumane, racist, xenophobic and hateful. But those of us who fight for migrant rights are not only fighting back, we want to reframe the way migrants are viewed, artists especially. We want to expose the tragic losses that have resulted from unjust immigration laws, and we want to inspire and challenge people to reimagine migration as something beautiful and natural -- something we all do.³¹

This is especially reflective in her own work as an artist and activist. On July of 2012, she and a group of more than two dozen undocumented activists gathered in Phoenix, Arizona to paint a 1972 sea-foam green bus.³² They applied monarch butterflies in their design with black, white, and orange spray paint. The vehicle was named "Undocubus", and they traveled across the country, stopping in 10 states to protest the failures of immigration policy before the Democratic National Convention.³³ Although these butterflies were used for more than a decade in various Latin American migration artworks, it was not until this particular year that artists began "popularizing the symbol" within the current immigration debate. It became stable to the global immigrant rights movement. Subsequently, in 2018, Rodriguez created a Social Justice Poster design titling it “Migration is Beautiful”. This artwork celebrates the courage, determination, and resilience of migrants who cross borders in search for a better life. It features an artistic adaptation of a monarch butterfly with each wing showing a human profile using bold vibrant colors. Now, Rodriguez's work is widely recognized in contemporary immigration advocacy, and “Migration is Beautiful” is now part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection.

For Jaqueline Romo, an artist, teacher, and immigrant, the migration experience that she, her family and friends as well as many others have endured is aptly reflected in a collection of artwork she titled “The Passion of the Monarca Migrante”.³⁴ Her artwork is composed of 15 relief prints made from carved linoleum blocks to represent her faith and migration experience. In Romo’s rendering, her faith is repetitively represented as a monarch butterfly and the body of a migrant pushed to the margins of society. Born in Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico, she migrated to the United States with her family when she was just 2 years old. She and her siblings had a difficult upbringing, and it became even more challenging as well as devastating when her father was deported back to Mexico. Romo recalls, “My mom had to raise the three of us, and she was the one who had to work to support us”.³⁵ Nevertheless, at an early age, her mother instilled the Catholic faith in her children, which helped Romo cope with the desolation. This carried over into adulthood and influenced her artwork. She recalled the migration stories told by her family members, stories about how they traveled through the desert and crossed the border. She also recognized that the monarch butterfly has been used as a depiction of resilience by immigrants because of the long journey they undergo. Making connections, see saw similarities in the stories of suffering, sacrifice, and hope. Thus, she decided to make art in a Latino way, in other words, through the eyes of a Latina migrant. In her composition, one can see colorful monarchs alongside images like desert landscapes, footprints, hands reaching out, chains, crosses, borders, and a figure of immigrant enforcement. During an interview in 2019, Romo explains

I decided to focus on the Mexican experience of crossing the border, not because Mexicans are the only ones — they are not — but because that was the way I would portray myself in this work, reflecting on what the Passion of Christ means to a Latino in the United States and portraying the untold stories of people who cross a desert, a river, not knowing if they will make it.³⁶

These relief prints express a poignant reminder of the migration struggle while also revealing a fertile ground for theological reflection. Another artist that uses monarchs in a comparable manner (different medium) is Ernesto Muñiz.

Ernesto Muñiz is a Mexican collage artist, born in Mexico City.  He studied graphic design and found a career photojournalism. After facing a personal crisis, Muñiz directed his artistic form of expression to collage-making. He does so by using found materials and images cut from magazines. His composed pieces take on a life of their own communicating complex ideas and tackle challenging subjects. The main, recurring themes in his artworks are religion, violence, love, and death. He reimagines religious iconography, combining it with Latino imagery, nature-focused imagery, mysterious symbolism, a variety of architectural forms, and wide-ranging cultural references, both old and new.³⁷ Frequently hidden in his compositions, viewers can find various butterfly species, monarch butterflies being one. For instance, in his artwork titled “Garden of Delight”, monarchs are found at the center, surrounded by fruits, flowers, plants, birds, the Virgin Mary, and iconic art figures such as Frida Kahlo. This is a slightly peculiar reminiscence of Hieronymus Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights” (1490-1500) that narrates a bewildering perspective of humanity along with nature, and it is certainly worth exploring. It provides a visual feast of color and imagery that takes viewers on a symbol-filled journey of discovery, and intended to stimulate alternative ways of thinking.

Laurie Buman is a phenomenal Chicago artist who constantly seeks ways to understand, make tangible, and express beauty within the world. Her artwork is layered with meaning beyond the obvious. Buman expresses that

Every item and image within a piece has a history all its own, and when combined they tell a greater story that transcends the physical. Each creation represents a personal journey that requires me to challenge my own belief systems and reinterpret what I think is true. It is a space in which the line between belief and knowledge becomes blurred, just as my work reflects both the real and the abstract.”³⁸

In a collection titled “Sontos Del Corazon”, Buman creates profound images that honor creatures and phenomena that hold special places in her heart. One of which is the monarch butterfly. “Saint Monarca of the Milkweed” is a mixed media print done with gold leaf, and it illustrates a sacred figure, similar to the Virgin Mary, devoted to these magnificent beings (Figure 1).

Figure 1

“Saint Monarca of the Milkweed”

Print with Gold Leaf, 35” x 26”

She acknowledges these butterflies by saying

The monarch butterfly migration across the continent provides an invaluable service, essential for many ecosystems to thrive. It is thanks to these pollinators, as well as bees and other insects, that we have many of the flowers and nutritious foods that sustain us. Canonized in my imagination, Saint Monarca is dedicated to the preservation of the Monarch butterfly. I created this saint to offer protection as the butterflies make their journey south to their overwintering grounds in the mountains of central Mexico. When they arrive, they will cluster together, coating the sacred Oyamel Fir trees of Michoacán.³⁹

This mystical art piece is beautifully embedded with thoughtful cultural and historical references all the while honoring the life of these butterflies. It also conveys an indication of a Mexican tradition- the Day of the Dead- that celebrates ancestors that have passed on.  The arrival of these butterflies in Mexico during the winter months coincides with this holiday, which is celebrated between November 1st and 2nd. For some people, the butterflies symbolize the spirits of the dead returning to visit their families and friends each year. So much can be revealed in this composition, and another component to highlight is the milkweed crown that emphasizes the key source of their survival. Buman imaginatively advocates for these beings, and articulates the importance of their existence in a beautiful way.

Numerous artists continue to employ monarchs as well as other butterflies in a meticulous fashion, not only for aesthetics, or metaphorically, but also to bring awareness to the wonders of nature as well as instilling the weight of protecting both humans and wildlife equally.