Draw a Monarch Butterfly with Me
"Follow the Monarchs"
Exhibit & Art Installation Opening
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Saturday, March 7, 2026
Museum hours: 10 AM-5 PM
Meet the Artist: Noon-3 PM
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The Texas Science &
Natural History Museum
Third Floor
University of Texas
2400 Trinity Street
Austin, TX 78705
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How Did We Get Here?
"Draw a Monarch Butterfly with Me" is part of a project initiated in early 2025, culminating in an art installation with an entomological theme: monarch butterfly migration!
Conceived of and orchestrated by Clare Wuellner, her vision for the art installation is based on the migratory habits of the monarch butterflies that overwinter in the Sierra Madre Mountains in central Mexico, where the butterflies cluster on branches of the towering oyamel fir tree.
The installation required hundreds of hand-drawn butterflies, drawn and contributed by hundreds of volunteers who each drew their own monarch butterfly using a tutorial developed and tested by Clare Wuellner.
Because of the public's contributions to the installation, it had to be highly accessible to everyone. The perfect venue was offered by Dr. Pamela Owen (Assistant Director of the TMM), who agreed to host the installation in the Texas Science & Natural History Museum.
What better home for a science-based, community-driven, art installation?
PRoject Update
Monarch Drawing Tutorial Video
Click the button to go straight to a Monarch Drawing Video Tutorial that shows, step-by-step, how to draw a monarch butterfly using the same method used in workshops!
Video includes full instructions for creating a monarch that can be part of the art installation in the Texas Science & Natural History Museum in Austin, TX. See video description for details.
About Clare Wuellner
Artist & Project Manager, ''Follow the Monarchs'"
Scientist by Training | Artist at Heart | Educator by Nature
"Understanding science has amplified my wonder at the beauty of living things, and this, in turn, informs my art. The meaning of these gifts can only be realized when they are given to others: the real meaning in life comes from sharing with others what is known and what is possible."
Dr. Wuellner is an artist and educator based in Austin, Texas.
She lives with her family and a dog in a house full of love.
Merch
About the Butterflies &
The People Who Drew Them
List of Countries Represented
The installation includes butterflies drawn by people from all over the world!
1. Albania
2. Algeria
3. Brazil
4. Canada
5. China
6. Colombia
7. Cuba
8. Dominican Republic
9. France
10. Germany
11. Iceland
12. Iran
13. Israel
14. Japan
15. Mexico
16. Morocco
17. Netherlands
18. Nigeria
19. Pakistan
20. Panama
21. Philippines
22. Portugal
23. Russia
24. Saudi Arabia
25. South Korea
26. Spain
27. Tajikistan
28. Turkiye
29. Ukraine
30. United States
31. Vietnam
32. Venezuela
Email Me if you...
...are interested in hosting your own butterfly workshop, either in-person or virtual.
...want your email address added to the list that will notify the public when the art installation is open to the public (sometime in Spring 2026) [Don't worry, your email won't be used for any other purpose.]
...have any questions about the project.
...would like to donate to the project to defray the expense of the materials used to make butterflies
Need more information
about Monarchs?
Monarch Watch is where you'll find the most up-to-date information about monarch butterflies
Monarch Watch is an education, conservation, and research program based at the University of Kansas that focuses on the monarch butterfly, its habitat, and its spectacular fall migration. Some of its programs include:
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Monarch Tagging Program: Started in 1992, this is a large-scale community science program to help understand the dynamics of the monarch fall migration. Each fall, the public can get involved as community scientists and tag migratory monarch butterflies using specially designed adhesive stickers as the butterflies migrate to Mexico.
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Monarch Waystation Program: This program began in 2005 to encourage people to create Monarch Waystations, habitats that support monarchs and other pollinators and include milkweed and nectar plants.
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Free Milkweeds Programs: Monarch Watch distributes flats of free milkweed plugs to qualifying schools, educational nonprofits, and large-scale restoration projects to help create and maintain monarch habitat across the monarch breeding range.
Learn more about Monarch Watch, its programs, and how you can get involved in supporting monarchs at www.monarchwatch.org.