The Bees at the Bee Show in May at the Sacramento Bee was a huge success and a huge amount of fun! This was the first show I created, designed, and curated pulling together sixty artists, the UC Davis Entomology Department, Sacramento Area Beekeepers Association, The Bohart Museum, The Sacramento Bee and a host of other community members. It was a very big undertaking, but in the end we raised nearly $1000 for research at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Center at UC Davis, and raised awareness for what could be an easily misunderstood and subsequently ignored issue. The honey bees are in trouble, and I sleep well at night knowing I fought on the side of preservation. I hope anybody reading this will choose to do the same, take action in any way you can. Go to the bottom fo the page for some links. Thanks to all involved, and all who get involved!
(photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
About the show:
A small group of local artists will create “bee-centric” art to be included in a one-day art show and education fair hosted by the Sacramento Bee, from which a pre-designated portion of each artist’s sales will be donated to research aimed at saving the disappearing honey bees. The recipient of artists donations is the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis.
In their own words, “The Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis, is the largest and most comprehensive state-supported apiculture facility in North America and the only one in California. We provide leading cutting-edge research focusing on basic bee biology and genetics. We address international concerns about bee health, and meet the needs of California’s multibillion dollar agricultural industry. Our expertise includes honey bee breeding and genetics, and native bee biology. We are uniquely qualified to investigate declining populations of honey bees, native bees and other insect pollinators and to provide solutions.” (http://beebiology.ucdavis.edu/)
Häagen-Dazs is funding a half-acre bee friendly garden next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road. It will be planted in late September or early October. A public ceremony is scheduled to take place in the spring of 2010. A Sausalito team submitted the winning design. (http://beebiology.ucdavis.edu/HAVEN/index.html)
The Häagen-Dazs® Honey Bee Haven began as a garden design competition in December 2008 and will culminate in a one-half acre bee-friendly garden coordinated by the California Center for Urban Horticulture at UC Davis. Visitors to the garden will be able to glean ideas on how to establish their own bee-friendly gardens and help to improve the nutrition of bees in their own backyards. (http://www.helpthehoneybees.com/#helpdonate)
Hagen-Dazs has been the main benefactor funding the new research center and appurtenant facilities at UC Davis, and the center is state-supported, but donations are excepted for five separate funds and are still greatly needed.
About the show: