Magical Origami Butterflies Take Flight at Galleria Dallas

Spring is on the wing at Galleria Dallas after the artistic team at Paper for Water installed nearly 4,000 origami butterflies over the shopping center’s iconic ice skating rink to celebrate the spring season and bring attention to the water crisis across the globe.  The art installation, From Fold to Flight, will remain ‘flying’ above the ice through Saturday, June 30.

Paper for Water was founded by sisters Katherine and Isabelle Adams when they were only five and eight years old. The organization started when the girls made origami pieces which they created in exchange for donations with hopes of raising $500 to build a well in Ethiopia. Six years later, the organization has raised over $1.3 million to fund 150 water projects in 14 countries.  All 4,000 origami butterflies featured in Fold to Flight will be hand folded by Paper for Water volunteers.

“The barrel vaulted ceiling above the Galleria Ice Skating Center is the perfect gallery to host the beautiful origami created by the volunteer artists at Paper for Water,” explains Martha Hinojosa, Galleria Dallas director of marketing. “We are honored to host this beautiful installation and to bring attention to the global water crisis mission served by these amazing young women.”

From Fold to Flight is designed to bring attention and awareness to the mission of Paper for Water.  Due to unsafe water and poor sanitation conditions in much of the developing world, millions of people live with the fact that the water they drink to survive may kill them. Diarrhea, which is an inconvenience in developed countries, can be deadly, especially to young children. There are 2.5 billion cases of diarrhea every year in children under the age of five, and deaths from diarrhea amount to 760,000 a year. It’s the second leading cause of child deaths in the world, taking the lives of more young children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. By supporting Paper for Water, donors help bring clean water to the global poor worldwide through the construction of water wells in impoverished communities. Paper for Water raises money to drill wells for some of the world's 783 million people who lack access to clean water.