This summer in Northern Michigan promises to be an enchanting one with fairies making appearances at more than one event. The flurry of fairy activity makes sense when you consider the dense forests and blooming gardens of the region.
NoMi’s environment seems like something out of a fairy’s dream of flora and fungi. The magical landscape is what inspired local artist, Heather Harrington, to start building fairy houses with her family. She and her family moved to the region several years ago and immediately felt inspired by their surroundings.
“My daughters love the outdoors,” she explains. “This environment really invites people of all ages to play.”
Harrington recalls her mother-in-law telling her daughters stories about finding fairy gardens while she was exploring outdoors. After moving up north, she and her daughters began building fairy houses and Harrington began incorporating them into her work with Life and Whim Studio, which she opened in 2016. Harrington felt drawn to fairy houses because the “intersection of art and nature is magical.”
Life and Whim displayed the first incarnation of the Fairy Trailsat The Village of the Grand Traverse Commons near Spanglish and the Barrel Room, but the fairy villages soon outgrew the space and they needed to find another location. Life and Whim partnered with the Botanic Gardens in 2020 to build the updated Fairy Trails. Harrington emphasizes that “all ages are welcome to create houses and partake in the magic.”
Matthew Ross, executive director of the Traverse City Botanic Gardens, recently led a workshop on “Building Fairy Houses out of Foraged Materials” at the Alluvion, outlining fairy architecture. Ross says he helps people construct “fairy houses, dwarf domiciles, gnome domes'' and any other type of magical structure that “invites enchantment.”
As far as materials, Ross says fairies love houses made of “materials from nature” including lichen, stones, pinecones, and clay. In his workshops, Ross often demonstrates how to form the foundation of a fairy house with clay or a terra cotta flowerpot.
“The important thing to remember is that fairy houses are ephemeral in nature.” Ross says. “Fairies dwell in them for a short period and then move on to new places.”
For anyone wanting to build a fairy house, Ross recommends “thinking about the fairy (or gnome, dwarf, elf, etc.) for whom you’re trying to build the house.” This requires would-be fairy architects to consider the size and personality of their magical tenants.
“Building a house for a gnome requires building a larger structure,” Ross offers as an example. Additionally, imagining the personality of a magical occupant helps the fairy house architect tailor the house’s style to their fairy’s personal taste. If your fairy is shy, they might want a house tucked away inside of a tree. If your fairy likes to read, they might want a huge library full of tiny books. Imagine the fairy you want to attract to your house. If you’d like to learn even more about building fairy houses, Harrington wrote a book available on the Life and Whim website.
After the pandemic, the Fairy Trails started an annual fairy house competition. In the past, the winners were decided by a panel of board members, but this year the awards are the people’s choice. The two categories are “Sprites” for kids (under 16) and families, and “Fantastical Fairies,” for adults and kids 16 and older.
Contestants may only enter one category. The theme of this year’s fairy house competition was “Celebrate Your Parks” in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Botanic Gardens. The theme invited people of all ages to build fairy houses inspired by national, state, and local parks.
The official installation of the fairy houses took place on June 2. Fairy architects built the structures off-site and then brought them to the installation event. Voting for the fairy houses takes place online through June 28. Winners will be announced on July 2 at “A Very Fairy Cherry JamBerry” event happening at the Botanic Garden from 2 to 4 p.m.
The event celebrates fairies and cherries as part of this year’s Cherry Festival.The Fairy Trails are located at The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park to the right of the Butterfly Garden and across from the Pavilion.
When asked his favorite thing about the fairy trails, Ross says he loves watching kids and adults explore together.
“Kids understand the beauty of imperfection, so I love watching kids teach adults that imperfections inspire joy and wonder,” Ross emphasizes. “Anyone can create a house. That’s the beauty of fairy houses.”
In other fairy related news, Michigan Legacy Art Park will be holding its annual “Fairies and Forts” event to celebrate the arrival of summer. Attendees are invited to dress up in their finest fairy fashion. It will be a day of art, stories, and music, followed by a hike to the Stockade Labyrinth sculpture designed by artist and park founder, David Barr.
Patricia Innis, long-time Education Director and current Collaborative and Environmental Art Coordinator, will host a creative workshop on building fairy gardens in recyclable egg cartons. Stories and songs will be held in the amphitheater. This year, the event takes place on June 23 from 2 to 4 p.m. Michigan Legacy Art Park is located at 7300 Mountainside Driveon the grounds of Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, Michigan.
