beecoming home
year 4 application
We collaborate with artists and honeybees to create amazing sculptures to raise awareness and funding for our mission: To help turn Columbus, Ohio into a native pollinator sanctuary.
In 3 years we have:
collaborated with 25 individual artists
created 35 unique sculptures
hosted 3 galleries, and showed in 1 museum (the Columbus Museum of Art)
raised over $19,000 towards pollinator conservation work
beecoming native to place - artist call 2025
Intro-
Beecoming home is a collaborative art gallery experience that brings nature, art, and community together. The goal is to connect artists with our industrious neighbors- the honey bees- to create unique and interspecies art pieces. This year’s theme is “The light and dark” nested within the broader theme of “Home”.
This project is meant to tell a story, and bring awareness to serious issues we are facing. We are becoming less and less connected with nature as each year passes. This project aims to bring us back to nature and reflect how we influence and are influenced by it. As we look around at what we have built, the way we treat our surroundings, and the way we care for our environment, it is easy to see that we do not prioritize protecting the beautiful elements of our environment. This gallery will provide a dialogue between artists and nature with the input of honeybees to help guide us back to the childlike wonder and appreciation of nature.
The feeling and definition of home is unique to each individual, and is shaped by lived and learned experiences. Beecoming home year 4 will build on previous years exploration of home to expand into the light and dark aspects of this feeling. The balance of light and dark can signify many things- good and evil, happiness and sadness, renewal and stagnation. Both light and dark play important roles within each of our stories. Acknowledging both in our journey brings balance and harmony to our stories and an enriching tale to tell.
We encourage artists to reflect on their definition of home, and how light and dark have influenced their stories. This year’s gallery aims to see stories of triumph, strength, determination, sadness, loss, joy- all through the lens of what means home to you.
On the concept of home:
We must give standing to the new pioneers, the homecomers bent on the most important work for the next century - a massive salvage operation to save the vulnerable but necessary pieces of nature and culture and to keep the good and artful examples before us. It is time for a new breed of artists to enter front and center, for the point of art, after all, is to connect. This is the homecomer I have in mind: the scientist, the accountant who converses with nature, a true artist devoted to the building of agriculture and culture to match the scenery presented to those first European eyes.”
- Wes Jackson
On the concept of light and dark:
"Put light against light - you have nothing. Put dark against dark - you have nothing. It's the contrast of light and dark that each give the other one meaning."
- Bob Ross
The following pages lay out the simple asks, and timeline of this project.
The theme
Overarching project theme
“home”
**NEW** This year’s aesthetic theme
“light and dark”
The ask -
Artists are asked to read the first page of this proposal and think about the meaning of home, and the light and dark aspects of life. Then, either provide or create a piece of artwork that has a connection with the theme and the scope of the project.
**With the new addition of “light and dark” as an aesthetic theme, we welcome you to interpret it as you wish either by integrating lighting in the work, play with shadows, or take on the concept of light and dark in our world.
This artwork will then be placed in a honey bee hive in the spring and worked on by the bees throughout the summer and removed in the fall.
**THIS IS WHY THE DEADLINE FOR SCULPTURES TO BE IN OUR POSSESSION IS SET AT 4/15/25**
The inspiration is connecting and intertwining the story of bees into the fabric of this community. What story of your community and home would you like to weave into this story?
2 categories to submit under
Artistic -
Any media. Sculptural art is encouraged, but 2 dimensional art can be amazing too! Honeybees build from the top down, and horizontally. So sculptural art with cavities, nooks, “shelves”, provide spaces for the bees to do unique things.
While this is the 4th year of this exhibit, the honeybees do not consult us with how to build on the artwork, so every time it is a surprise. This is an experiment, there are no wrong answers.
Please look at past submissions on our website and social media for how the art was placed into the hive, size, how the bees interacted with each piece. Additionally, please refrain from using materials that are toxic to the bees, or can become harmful if chewed and consumed by the bees. They are curious and will interact with your artwork through touch, taste, and chewing, so we want to do what we can to keep the girls healthy and happy while collaborating with us on this project. If you have any questions or concerns about material toxicity, please reach out to us and we will be happy to provide guidance.
Curiosities -
Natural and found items reimagined
Over the last few years of this event, we have learned a lot about how the bees interact with different materials, shapes, and textures. The curiosity category aims to expand our understanding how bees interact with both natural items and unique materials through introducing bees to natural materials (such as crystal, bone, or plant) they might otherwise not come in contact with, or found items (such as a birdcage, kitchen utensils, or wicker basket). We encourage curiosity when deciding on your item to submit- we are open to collaborating to develop and test research questions, or using items just to see what happens. Please be mindful of not selecting items that will cause a health hazard to the bees (items with parts or coatings that can easily be chewed and consumed, such as latex paint, rusting metal, chemical coating, etc). Reach out to us if you have any questions or are concerned about a specific material. All items must fit within the stated size parameters, see below.
Size -
A standard honey bee box is 14.5” x 18.5” x 9”
A Standard honeybee frame is 18” x ¾” x 6” or 8”
You could provide something more horizontal, vertical, or fill the whole void.
Your submissions should be within those ranges. (see below for a diagram of a hive)
We can also consult on this if you are concerned, or needing additional information.
Application Checklist -
Please include the following in your application submission:
A 2- page (maximum) proposal highlighting:
o Your concept and ideas for your art piece or curiosities entry
o Reasoning for your creation
o Why it fits within the scope of the theme
o Any significant or important messaging with the artwork
A list of materials the piece will be made of (please see media for details to consider) Dimensions of the final piece
A sketch of the piece (or photograph if you are in possession of the final)
Photos of previous work to showcase your art and artistic style
$10-$20 sliding application fee (this supports our mission, but we want to offer a range to accommodate as best we can!), follow this link to pay, and email your submission to beekeeper@beethecollective.com
Timeline
Concept submission deadline: 2/5/25
Artist selection date: 2/15/24
Final Art submission date: 4/15/24
The best time for bees to build beeswax and therefore honeycomb is May-June, so it is important the artwork is submitted before May.
Acceptance -
If you are selected for the 2025 year, we will reach out to you individually and confirm your commitment. We will then post publicly the list of artists in this year’s exhibit
Terms and conditions for the art -
● This year's gallery show will be in the fall of 2025
● If art sells, the request is a 50/50 split between this project and the artist. 50% to the artist, and 50% to the “wild spot” pollinator sanctuary project that has been started for the city of Columbus. The artist will have full involvement in deciding the final price.
● If the art does not sell at the gallery, we will hold onto the art as it will be traveled to other galleries and museums in the coming years.
Involvement -
You can be as involved, or uninvolved as you would like! Our hope is that this could create a great new experience for all the artists. Everyone who is involved is invited to suit up with me and be a beekeeper for an hour, see progress, and receive a jar of honey from the bee collective hives at the event.
Final Note -
Explaining how the honeybees will interact with the sculptures is difficult on paper. If you are interested in this idea, and would like to understand more, we can set up a consultation and chat. There are also examples of last year’s sculptures, and you can see them in person if you would like.
With gratitude,
luke howard and sarah scott
beekeeper@beethecollective.com
614.300.0176
