Experience
A Gift From A. William McGraw, Peg’s Trustee and former Chair
Created at Janis’s home on Catawba Island and cast at an artisanal foundry in South Carolina, Butterfly stands at the back entrance to the historic Baldwin Buss Merino House — a little girl playing outside her home.
Janis was a lifelong artist who worked in stone before transitioning to clay as her eyesight changed and arthritis set in. Butterfly is a composite portrait drawn from life and memory — the body and posture of Bill’s daughter Margeaux on a camping trip in Georgian Bay, the butterfly inspired by a real moment on a hike near the Greenbrier River, and the face of another grandchild, Sarah. One figure. Three moments. A lifetime of love.
She wanted to capture health, vitality, and the wonder of being open to the unexpected — like a butterfly landing on a little girl’s finger.
Placed in Peg’s Garden as a tribute to Bill, she is a quiet and constant reminder of what we are working toward: a world where young people can grow with the curiosity, confidence, and care needed to build a happy and rewarding life.
Bill’s daughter, Margeaux, standing next to her grandmother’s sculpture