The gist
Set to open in October, Kaleidoscope Park is a six-acre community space inside Hall Park, a mixed-use development located off of Gaylord Parkway and Dallas Parkway. It will include a dog park, splash pad, performance lawn, children’s play area, outdoor workspaces and gardens.
Kaleidoscope Park’s main attraction, however, is its signature art piece—"Butterfly Rest Stop".
Stretching 165 feet above a section of the park, the sculpture was installed over multiple days with the final pieces secured 65 feet off of the ground on June 27, according to a June 28 news release.
It was designed to resemble the flowers on a milkweed plant, a dietary staple for monarch butterflies, according to the release. Frisco is one of many U.S. cities that see butterfly migrations every year and milkweed will be planted along Kaleidoscope Park’s arts plaza for butterflies passing through the city.
The details
The sculpture is made of nearly 90 miles of NASA-grade ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers—the same material used to tether the Mars rovers, according to the release. Here are some other facts about the art piece:
- 791,788 knots tied by hand and loom
- 88.9 miles of twine
- 3,423 lbs
- 133-feet-long (160-feet-long, including rope structures)
- 65-feet-tall at its highest point
- Can withstand a 106 mph wind load
The creator of the sculpture, artist Janet Echelman, designed the piece to transform with light and wind, according to the release.
It is expected to be replaced approximately every five years due to its exposure to the weather. Hall Park already has a replacement on-hand.
"Butterfly Rest Stop" is one of the largest outdoor public art installations in Texas—the largest in North Texas—and is Echelman’s first permanent art installation in the state.
The background
Construction on Kaleidoscope Park started in fall 2021 as part of a two-decade, multibillion-dollar Hall Park redevelopment project.
“The most exciting thing is opening the park,” said Shawn Jackson, executive director of the Kaleidoscope Park Foundation. “It’s brand new—Frisco’s been looking forward to it for two years.”
The Kaleidoscope Park Foundation is a nonprofit and public-private partnership between Dallas-based charity Communities Foundation of Texas and the city of Frisco.
“[Hall Group chairman and founder] Craig Hall has always been passionate about art, which aligns with the City of Frisco’s commitment to our public art program,” Mayor Jeff Cheney said in the release. “We’re excited to be home to 'Butterfly Rest Stop'. The signature sculpture will help showcase Kaleidoscope Park and create an amazing gathering place for our residents, members of our business community, as well as visitors.”
