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Writer's pictureJasmine Willis

Fireflies and Fairy Dust

Updated: Jul 1, 2021


Deborah McAfee with her second masterpiece Photos by Jasmine Willis

By Jasmine Willis


DANSVILLE- A new work of art has found it’s way into our hearts on the Inspirational Trail.


Wild World Studios Artist, Deborah McAfee created her second interactive sculpture called Fireflies and Fairy Dust.


This sculpture is made of wood, fiberglass, metal, paint, and is the first solar powered sculpture of its kind. This allows anyone to enjoy interacting with the artwork all through the night as well.


You can sit and take photos with her on the bench! Photos by Jasmine Willis

On June 24 the art was brought to historic downtown and put on display. McAfee said she couldn’t of moved it without the help of her neighbors. It took about a year to complete, and her community helped her every step of the way.


Livingston County Economic Development came up with the Inspirational Trail in summer of 2020. That is when artists were given a chance to really find their spark in the community. With help from the First Impressions Grant Program these sculptures were able to come alive on our Main Street.


Rafaella Gonzales poses with fairy teen at night. PHOTO PROVIDED

McAfee feels a strong connection to this great cause, and what it means for Dansville’s future.


“I wanted to do something fun that everyone would enjoy interacting with. I stuck with the fairy theme since that is very popular in our town. I thought it would be nice if we did something for the teens. They really don’t have anything. The idea was to showcase clean cut teen innocence,” she said. “I thought it would be more fun for them if I could make it light up at night. This is the first one I have ever done like this. It works on solar panels that allows it to light up all night. It changes colors. You will see a spotlight change colors on the fairy. There are fireflies, moonlight, and a magic wand.”


Our beautiful fairy teen has a hometown story. Photo Jasmine Willis

McAfee wanted to bring more traffic to downtown with her sculptures. Her hope is that everyone will see Dansville as a destination spot. This will bring people to the shops on Main Street. The theme of this project is called Magical Stars of Main Street. Future goals are to bring more interactive pieces up and down Main Street.


“We can move these sculptures if we need to. We plan on moving them around to get people interested. We have ideas about how to bring people into downtown shops. It is fun to have something like this in town to interact with,” she said.”I want people to engage with it and not be afraid to get photos with it. They can sit on the bench created at the base. They can hold onto the fairy. They can watch her turn colors and glow at night. I thought of the youth when I made this one, and what would be fun for them. It makes us all think back on when we were kids.”


This artwork is beautiful and inspiring for our youth. Photos by Jasmine Willis

Fireflies and Fairy Dust is right across the street from The Sugar Bowl. It can look on the dancers next to Community Bank. Check out what makes her unique In the designs that show just how much she belongs to Dansville. There is a story in each piece of artwork. It is up to the onlooker to decide what that story means to them. Share those stories and experiences on the Inspirational Trail and shine a light for others to come to Dansville.

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