This summer, some cicadas will be the width of light poles and some will be the size of squirrels.
While the traditional cicada is smaller than the length of a human finger, these plaster cicadas will be impossible to miss throughout the city.
Cicada Parade-a, a large-scale collaborative art project organized by The Insect Asylum and Formstone Castle Collective, will be on display in the city beginning in May.
The art project is made up of painted plaster cicada sculptures which will be displayed throughout the city on walls, light poles, signs and more.
The project celebrates the re-emergence of cicada broods XIII and XIX, Illinois’ 17-year and 13-year cicada broods. Overall, this is dedicated to celebrate the large-scale brood emergence happening this summer, as this brood has not been to this scale in 221 years.
The project is free for artists of all levels. To be a part of the art project, there is an application form to ensure everyone applying is met with a cicada. Each plaster cicada is paid for by a donor.
Sponsorships for the art project are available on the event organizer’s website.
Local
The art project began in Baltimore, Md., during the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020 and has since grown to a national scale. In the past, the largest number of cicadas presented in the display was 600.
Though there will only be a couple hundred of plaster cicadas, be prepared to see millions of real cicadas this summer during the historic emergence.
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