Photo by Rachel Pressley
A project begun two years ago has weathered all the chaos and postponements of 2020 and emerged in a sweet spot. A few weeks ago, a ceremony was held to recognize the completion of the Bee and Pollinator Mural, painted by artist/activist Matt Willey on the outside wall of Hands On! Children’s Museum in downtown Hendersonville. “We’re grateful to all of those who have been involved,” said Kim Bailey, coordinator of co-sponsor Bee City USA of Hendersonville, in a press statement. June is National Pollinators Month, but the state of threatened honeybees is an ongoing concern for Willey, who started the organization The Good of the Hive with the goal to paint 50,000 honey bees on walls around the world. (That’s the minimum number of bees that indicates a healthy hive.) “The mural raises awareness about the critical importance of pollinators, but it is also about us. We are all more connected to each other than we realize. This piece of art is about the beauty of healthy pollinators, but it’s also about what the pollinators can teach us about ourselves,” Willey said in the statement.
— Ed.
The Bee and Pollinator Mural, Azalea parking lot, Third Avenue East between Main St. and King St., Hendersonville. For more information, see thegoodofthehive.com.