WAUNAKEE, Wis. — New public art in a small town near Madison has a much bigger purpose. It’s meant to be a healing space for people to come together and honor loved ones who are no longer with us.

What You Need To Know

  • The Waunakee Wings mural is at the intersection of Fish Street and Main Street
  • It features butterfly wings and the names of community members gone too soon
  • The idea came from a mom who lost her son to fentanyl poisioning at age 18 in 2021
  • It was painted by artist Kinga Johnson

Michelle Kullmann worked hard to fundraise and make the Waunakee Wings mural happen. She came up with the idea as a way to honor her son Cade. He died from fentanyl poisoning two years ago. He was just 18 years old.

“What I found that helped me was creating things that have meaning and doing things to honor his life,” said Kullman.

The mural features a large pair of butterfly wings, surrounded by smaller butterflies with the names of people who’ve died in the community.

“To see all these names on this wall and know that every single name has parents, or a wife, or a spouse, or children, that are going through that same type of pain,” said Kullman. “It’s knowing that you’re not alone.”

Kullmann said a butterfly’s transformation from a caterpillar into something beautiful represents our changes through life and grief.

“Butterflies have always been such a significant symbol of metamorphosis and growth, and also represent the idea that as people pass, they earn their wings, and they are still this beautiful creature,” she said.

Kylie West works for the Village of Waunakee and helped organize the effort to get the mural done. It’s personal for her too.

“My son passed away. He was stillborn, about eight years ago,” said West. “So, his name, Carter, is up there as well. It’s hard to think about, that we have all that loss. But it’s been really nice watching the community open up about loss together. I think that was a segway into us being able to successfully do this project and have people want to participate.”

West and Kullmann hope people come from all over to share their stories.

“To have this place where anyone can come here to Waunakee and get their picture taken by the mural and post it on their social media in memory of their loved ones, is such a beautiful tribute, and it’ll be healing for everybody,” said Kullman.

The mural can be found at the corner of Fish and Main Street downtown. It hangs on the side of Wana Bike Shop.

Visit the Waunakee Wings Facebook page for more information.