A Sprinkling of Magic

UNDER THE CLOAK OF ANONYMITY, THE GUERILLA BUNNY PUTS MAGIC INTO THE WORLD, ONE EGG AT A TIME

By Laura Mars 

Photos by Gregory Cherin 

Veiled by darkness in the wee hours of Easter morning, the Guerilla Bunny team will stealthily spread out through a town in the Berkshires, placing some 100 painted eggs in plain sight, not so much hiding them but helping them along their way, into the hands of someone searching for a bit of magic. 

Since 2008, when this intriguing project started in Stockbridge, the number of individuals hunting for the eggs has grown. (Clues to their whereabouts are revealed through social media the morning the eggs are distributed.) The designs created on the eggs also have become more spiritual and symbolic, and belief in the magic of the eggs has broadened. 

This is so not a story about your typical Easter egg hunt, when colorful eggs—hard-boiled or plastic-filled with sweets—are hidden and people scramble to fill their baskets. The intent is for these blown eggs—free-range and beautifully painted—to find their way into the hands of those who could use a bit of magical thinking. 

Guerilla Bunny (aka “GB,” identity unknown) has painted more than 1,000 eggs through the years, with no two eggs egg-zactly alike. Working in secret is challenging—the artist doesn’t share or even talk about the eggs with the team until the work is completed. I was one of the lucky few to visit the studio last year as finishing touches were being put on the eggs. The small workspace is tucked in a corner of a well-lit room, overflowing with tiny paint bottles (no food dye), even tinier thread-thin brushes, and books and little trinkets for inspiration. 

It's a quiet, meticulous process—an egg is held in one hand while the other hand paints, slowly and steadily. Finished eggs sit in egg cartons lined up according to themes that range from dragons to Op art. I am mesmerized by the intricate patterns and surprised that the eggs are not as fragile as they look. The self-taught Berkshire artist recalls being attracted to the decorated style of traditional Ukranian Pysanky eggs and began painting eggs as Christmas ornaments and gifts, even attempting to sell them. When that didn’t pan out, GB decided to give them away, with no intention of continuing. 

GB’s interest in creating didn’t wane, though, and the artist delved deeper into the history of eggs used in pagan rituals. In pre-Christian times, the egg symbolized the rebirth of the Earth during springtime and used many symbols related to pagan sun worship. The traditional designs were later reinterpreted through the lens of Christianity. 

“When I began to explore the eggs as magical objects that could combat the darkness in the world, the artwork became richer and more intense, and a mythology emerged around their own destiny and sentience,” GB says. “The secret identity is fun and 007ish. But on another level, it means that the people the eggs find don’t have a person to focus on. They must experience the magic of the egg finding them. That moment—how they interpret the symbols and colors and why a particular egg found them—keeps the magic real and alive.” 

The Guerilla Bunny project remained in Stockbridge until 2019. In 2020, the eggs branched out, finding their way into other towns, including Pittsfield, Lee, and Great Barrington. The eight-member support team was hatched from a group of confidantes, not only to help with hiding the eggs but to trick savvy stalkers from grabbing as many eggs as they could—not cool, and certainly not GB’s intent. More people on the streets created a distraction; were they the people placing the eggs or those looking for them? 

Suzi Banks Baum found her first egg years ago. She was so taken by the magic that she became involved as a placer (those who hide the eggs). “Finding Guerilla Bunny eggs is a mythic hunt for a tiny, handheld story that has implications I might not ever fully understand,” she says. “A devout Christian might say the same is true for eggs that symbolize Easter, but finding these eggs feels much more magical, in part because of the intentionality of the way they are created. 

“Being a placer is so fun—to be steps ahead of someone finding something that will make a deep impression on them. I have placed in quiet places like the Grotto in Stockbridge and on busy streets. After the George Floyd murder, we placed eggs in Albany neighborhoods that we felt might need a little magic; along the walkway to the ER at a downtown hospital; and amongst a neighborhood shrine of candles. Placing feels like extending Guerilla Bunny’s hands into the world.” 

Joseph Chernila is someone who discovered the magic of finding an egg. 

“Pulling on boots and a raincoat early on a Sunday morning, wandering into the town center with eyes locked on the bases of trees, planter boxes, and other nooks and crannies is as much a part of the experience as is finding an egg,” Chernila recalls. There is a sense of understanding and cameraderie as people search an area—they are alone in their search, yet somehow together. “The not-finding is the best part—the cycle of excitement, diligence, waning hope, despondence, rationalization. And then—someone finds one! They’re glowing, holding the precious thing like a newborn babe in their palm.” 

My journey with the GB team continued when I was invited to experience the blessing of the eggs ceremony, where it is believed that the eggs become sentient. I was also invited to be a placer. You won’t meet a more dedicated group, intent on the magic of the eggs and their journey into the world. 

Exactly 106 eggs sat on a large table, a display of compelling designs and vibrant colors. We took our time acknowledging not only their beauty, but the year of hard work they represented. It was the first chance for GB to get feedback, which was another purpose of the team. Circling the eggs, we took turns reciting words that would help guide the eggs on their journey, appealing to the elements of nature—Earth, fire, water, air—for protection. A smudging ritual was performed (burning sage and other herbs thought to dispel negative energy). “Find your people,” was whispered to the eggs over and over. 

We each took our allotment of now-sentient eggs and location assignments and went home to an early bedtime, agreeing to start placing eggs in the chosen town of Great Barrington at 5 a.m. I was apprehensive. Despite support from the team and suggestions as to where to place them—parking lots, shop doorways, town benches, walking trails—leaving these beautiful eggs, sentient or not, sitting on the ground in the dark of night seemed wrong. 

I needn’t have worried. As I walked my route—from the traffic rotary to the Senior Center—spots jumped out at me. The more eggs I placed, the more confident I became that each would wind up with the right person. The placers were also tasked with sending a tagged photo to GB of each location to ensure that every egg was taken. 

Happy finders Natasha Perlis and daughter Lila Juska.

I felt a mounting pressure to quicken my pace and complete the task on hand before dawn kicked in. It didn’t help that I felt like I was being followed. I was warned about overly zealous hunters and hid in the shadows until I was alone. 

When all my eggs were finally placed and accounted for, I gathered with GB and the team to debrief and share a most delicious breakfast of—no surprise—egg sandwiches! This was one tired but blissfully happy group of people. Whether due to adrenaline or magic, the team was pumped with stories of their journey and ideas for the future. 

As I left the group that morning, nearly a year ago, I heard GB talking about starting on next year’s eggs. All these months later, they are now nearly done and will be placed very early Easter morning in a yet-to-be-known town in the Berkshires. Where do we look for some magic this year? We won’t know until that morning, and the first place to look is on the Guerilla Bunny’s Facebook and Instagram feeds, where announcements will 

be made.