Armstrong artist Rhonda Neufeld, who has a wealth of experience as an apiarist, hosts the first Bee Central event this weekend at Brent’s Grist Mill Heritage site.
Bee Central is a community art pollinator project aimed at helping bees
What: Bee Central: A Community Art Pollinator Project
Who: UBC Okanagan’s Eco Art Incubator and the City of Kelowna
When: Sunday, June 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with more events throughout summer
Where: Brent’s Grist Mill Heritage site, bottom of Dilworth Mountain, Kelowna
In response to global concerns around bees, pollinators, biodiversity, and sustainable food practices, UBC Okanagan’s Eco Art Incubator and the City of Kelowna are partnering on a bee-related art project — Bee Central: A Community Art Pollinator Project.
Starting this weekend and continuing to September, Bee Central will host four bee-centred community art events at the Brent’s Grist Mill Heritage site. Each family-friendly event is free to the public.
The first event, The Swarm in June, takes place Sunday, June 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is hosted by Armstrong artist Rhonda Neufeld who has a wealth of experience as an apiarist as well as expertise in printmaking, drawing, and installation work.
The Swarm in June features hands-on creating and an observation hive of real live honeybees on site, says Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies Associate Professor Nancy Holmes.
Participants will learn about Neufeld’s creative passion for bee swarming and will also build a take-home bee out of recyclable materials: paper, sticks, and a straw. People can drop in in at any time during the day.
Brent’s Grist Mill Heritage site is located at the bottom of Dilworth Mountain along Mill Creek Linear Park in Kelowna, BC.
Upcoming events
Small World, Samuel Roy-Bois — Saturday, July 4, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Inspired by the beauty and complexity of the beehive, UBC professor Roy-Bois will guide us in building an artistic 3-D structure.
Murmurations, Sarah Megan Hunter — Sunday, August 23, 7 to 8:30 p.m. This live, interactive community performance piece by writing student Sarah Megan Hunter is inspired by the special movements bees make and early movements people make. Participants should be prepared to hum, sing, dance, shake, wiggle, and laugh.
Mason Bee Homes, Lori Mairs — Saturday, September 26, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ecological artist Lori Mairs will guide participants in building on-site mini-homes for native bees alongside a large scale model of a mason bee tube. The event will be accompanied by talks with the Central Okanagan Heritage Society about pioneer culture and agricultural history.
Bee Central is part of a larger plan to introduce and stimulate a ‘buzz’ about bees and the Brent’s Grist Mill Heritage Park, particularly to attract a diverse community to help with the planting, building, and maintaining of a Public Art Pollinator Pasture in Kelowna. Bee Central is partly made possible by a Community Public Art Grant from the City of Kelowna.
For more information about UBC Okanagan Eco Art Incubator projects or to become a volunteer, please contact Associate Professor Nancy Holmes, nancy.holmes@ubc.ca, 250-807-9369. The website for more information is blogs.ubc.ca/theecoartincubator.
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