Breaking Open (aka the Butterfly Heart)

A broken heart stands as a chrysalis to new life within. As the heart burns away it reveals the butterfly, now free to fly.

Breaking Open, aka the Butterfly Heart, is a Fire Art Installation that is being built for Burning Man 2023. On August 31st at 11:00 PM, a 20x16ft wooden heart filled with heartfelt messages will be set ablaze. As the heart burns, a captivating steel butterfly, to be illuminated with radiant LED lights, is revealed. Add your message, support us with much needed tax-deductible donations, and be part of this transformative experience of healing and rebirth.

"The Butterfly Heart is dedicated to anyone who walks with a broken heart, to offer a reflection that honors their truth and also invites the possibility of transformation and a return to joy. The intent is to transmute grief during the burn that reveals the butterfly, a symbol of hope. May this art help anyone with a broken heart to know they are not alone and that there is hope of emerging from it in a way that restores beauty and well-being. Creativity and art is a way to get there. " ~Dawn

We are looking for art lovers and inspired people to join us in raising the funds to build this work of art, get it to the Playa, burn it and effectively Leave No Trace after our burn. We applied for the BM Honorarium grant in January and, although we were not chosen for the Burning Man funding, we were accepted as a burnable art piece (huge honor) and will be bringing it at our own cost. Join us in this creation of healing and beauty through art!

This is a project of love and passion! We, the artists and crew are donating ALL our time and resources and doing a fundraiser to meet our $20,000 budget to make this happen. We are responsible to LEAVE NO TRACE of having been there, let alone have burned anything.  

This is an invitation to anyone who wants to add their name to the group and see the broken heart transform through fire into a beautiful rainbow butterfly. Everyone is invited to include a message that will be placed in the Broken Heart before it burns, to release and call in healing, for yourself or someone else.

Donations over $500 are eligible for a tax deduction!

To receive the write-off, DO NOT donate through Gofundme, instead please click here:

https://www.breakingopen.org/tax-deductable-donations

Thank you for your consideration of this meaningful and transformative work of art. We deeply appreciate your support!

Check out the team that will build and install this art here:

https://www.breakingopen.org/