Luna Butterfly Inspired Artwork to Live and Transform at Mount Gretna This Summer

A living work of art will inhabit Mount Gretna this summer as its wings transform from lush greenery to tropical flowers.

Mount Gretna’s Luna Moth made her first appearance of the season at a press night Saturday afternoon. Live music from a traveling violinist and bubbles from a machine added to the atmosphere of the event.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Exhibition. “As Lebanon proclaims 2024 the Year of the Arts in honor of the performing arts, we are hosting all kinds of celebratory and community art events,” Kerry Royer, director of the Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show, told LebTown.

As part of the Year of the Arts festivities, Visit Lebanon Valley and Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show commissioned Ryan Fretz to conceptualize and construct the living artwork installed in front of the Mount Gretna Playhouse.

Throughout the season, visitors are invited to pose with the set of wings for the camera and share the photos using the hashtag #lebanonvalleyarts on social media platforms.

Luna Moth from Mount Gretna. (Lexi Gonzalez)

In an exclusive interview with LebTown, Fretz, an artist originally from Mount Gretna, said the living artwork involved a collaboration with Royer.

“It was a good back and forth,” Fretz said. “At first I was a little hesitant about the idea of doing a piece of art on a wing because that was how it was done. But she convinced me that if I made it my own and made it unique, it could be something special.

Fretz mentioned seeing neon angel wings lit by neon lights while eating at a restaurant, as well as wings made from pizza slices at another location. Like the Luna butterfly, her version of a wing-shaped work of art moves away from omnipresence.

“The foam is wrapped around a foam board containing…a layer of felt,” Fretz said of the design of the living artwork. “And we will have to keep it alive by keeping it moist. So it will be sprayed daily. I’m going to build an irrigation system there.

“There’s a four-tiered planter in the background,” he added. “Currently, it’s just a set-up with a bunch of plants from my house. And I’m going to swap it with tropical plants which, over the summer, will fill out and be very colorful.

Sustainability was an important aspect of the piece’s design, with Fretz dismantling wooden pallets that others were discarding and using scrap wood to construct the planter. Foam board, felt and screws were the only supplies he reported using that were not collected or recycled.

Fretz said he began working on the early stages of the piece last winter and completed considerable work in the week leading up to its unveiling. A drum roll and a countdown preceded the removal of the white sheet from the wings of the moon butterfly during the press evening.

While keeping track of his hours, Fretz said he was reluctant to know the total “because I tend to get caught up in the details and I kind of lose track of time when I’m working.” However, he estimates he put at least 40 hours of work into this living work of art, with last week’s moss installation being particularly time-consuming.

When asked what’s next, Fretz said, “It’s probably too early to talk about my next big project.” I’ve signed some contracts, but maybe I’ll do something big at the Renaissance Faire.

The traveling violinist at the press evening on Saturday. (Lexi Gonzalez)

“I am so happy with this beautiful day and the group of people who came to support this event. It’s important to highlight the arts, and they’re not always highlighted,” Jennifer Kuzo, president of Visit Lebanon Valley, told LebTown. “And when we don’t always think that there is much to do in the Lebanon Valley, when we highlight all the music, theater, painting and visual arts,… there are quite a few.”

Following the press night, Mount Gretna hosted its second annual Summer Kickoff, which gave attendees the opportunity to learn about summer events from local organizations while enjoying live entertainment, food trucks, sellers and an auction.

Questions about this story? Any suggestions for a future LebTown article? Contact our editorial team using this contact form and we will do our best to answer you.

Free information is not cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, help us make it sustainable by becoming a local news champion. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a unique contributionor join as monthly Or annual member. You can cancel at any time.