By Holly Beretto
On a chilly Friday in downtown Houston, as twilight transitioned to dusk, a jogger kept a brisk pace along Discovery Green’s George R. Brown Promenade, his steps creating a soft shhkth-shhkth sound on the dirt path. He looked up as his stride hit a certain spot on the walkway, triggering a trilling chime in the branches overhead.
He smiled and jogged on.
Further down the promenade, a little girl pointed excitedly to the glowing creatures in the trees, then dashed off toward her mother’s voice.
“Look!” A mother lifted her toddler closer to see the giant moths hanging in the trees. “What is that?”
“But-fly,” the toddler smiled, delighted.
They were all experiencing artist Jen Lewin’s mesmerizing installation, ATLAS which features 24 oversized glowing moths suspended from the trees. Lewin’s work often explores the intersection of nature and technology, and ATLAS invites visitors to reflect on the delicate balance of our ecosystems.
The moths react to the movement of park visitors, playing enchanting music and sounds as they shift colors. It’s a magical surprise for all who encounter them.
Discovery Green is a vital part of Houston’s arts scene, presenting immersive, interactive art installations that invite people of all ages to connect in a meaningful way. Spending a day at the park is free, which ensures these experiences are accessible for everyone. For many families, it’s often the first-time children are exposed to art that they can truly engage with—art that responds to their movements, invites them to touch, explore, and be part of the creative process.
“I like it!” said Monica R., a mother visiting the park with her children. “This is our first time seeing it, but I love bringing the boys here to walk around.”
This year, ATLAS is presented as part of Discovery Green’s Art Lab program – a groundbreaking initiative for local underrepresented artists. Art Lab’s first year was funded by an anonymous national donor. It is co-curated and co-created by Weingarten Art Group.
As the inaugural Art Lab mentor, Lewin’s journey to becoming a public artist wasn’t immediate.
“I submitted to hundreds of calls for art, and it took years to get that first opportunity,” she explained. Through her mentorship in Art Lab, Lewin hopes to guide emerging Houston artists, Karen Navarro and Gerardo Rosales, in developing large-scale, interactive works of their own.
“I love being the first mentor for Art Lab” Lewin said. “It’s a tricky process to become a public artist, and I want to offer what I didn’t have: mentorship, guidance, and support.”
For Sharon Rodriguez, who was strolling through the park with her fiancé on their way to dinner, it was the third time experiencing Lewin’s art.
“I think they’re so cute,” she said, linking arms with her fiancé. “They’re so pretty, and I love standing under them, hearing the sounds. I mean, who doesn’t like butterflies and moths?”
Each sculpture in the ATLAS installation represents an endangered North American moth species. Informational signs along the installation let visitors identify the species, creating a fun scavenger hunt as they search for moths like the white-streaked Lichen moth or the dark stoneroot borer moth.
“It’s like a jungle in the middle of the city,” said Jen Olin, waiting for a friend at the park. She wasn’t aware of the artwork and was pleasantly surprised when stepping under a red moth, triggering a musical tune. “And they sing! How fun is that?”
The moths drift lazily on their wires, transitioning from serene blues and greens to vibrant oranges and pinks. The sounds along the path vary from the flapping of wings to wind chimes and chirps, inviting visitors to engage with the artwork.
Many parkgoers stumble upon the moths unexpectedly and are often delighted by how they change colors or play sounds when they interact. A husband and wife living downtown stopped beneath each moth, eager to see what would happen.
“It’s great that it’s interactive,” said the wife, Kim. “And this is a beautiful way to enjoy nature. We love the art installations here, but this is our first time seeing this one.”
ATLAS will be on display through February 16, continuing to enchant unsuspecting passersby, who find themselves startled by a sound their walking triggered—only to look up and be mesmerized by a giant glowing moth overhead.
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The Art Lab program provides invaluable resources for underrepresented local artists, empowering them to expand their practices into public works that engage the community.
Want to be a part of this exciting program? Join PRISM, Discovery Green’s membership program, and support local artists, enjoy exclusive access to events, and help foster Houston’s thriving arts scene. Learn more at www.discoverygreen.com/prism
