By Sandra Schulman
In a bee-utiful show that would make flower master Georgia O’Keeffe proud, Beyond Blossoms: The Power of Pollinators is open through June 22, and features the work of 43 Palm Beach County-based artists at the Cultural Council of Palm Beach in Lake Worth Beach.
Pollinators are, simply put, the birds – but mostly bees — that flock to the sexy sweet-smelling flowers for their fuzzy yellow pollen that self-fertilizes plants. Bees get a bad rap for their sting and inconveniently located hives, but they play a vital role as sex workers in reproduction and the ecosystem, not to mention their byproduct of honey.
Curated by artists and educators Wendy DesChene and Jeff Schmuki of the art collaborative PlantBot Genetics selected art that reflects the beauty of this interaction, including two-dimensional and three-dimensional work, printmaking, photography, textiles, sculptures, and installations. Photographer Daniel Newcomb, who has exhibited his images of vintage signs and rock clubs nationally and works as the architectural photographer for the Hard Rock Hotels, exhibits a slyly named photo, Last Call, that shows bees in a golden light on a honey-colored flower.
“Being invited to the ‘Pollinators exhibit’ was a perfect match for part of my photographic work,” Newcomb says. “I keep four apiaries in my backyard to support our honeybee population. I can sit for hours watching the ladies work flying in and out. Creating macrophotography of the bees has been a portion of my art to raise awareness of these misunderstood creatures.”
Christine Ellinghausen’s Galactic-Pollinator is a portrait of a cyber bee made of mechanical and electrical parts, alluding to the machine-like work of the busy bees. Eli Cecil’s three-part sculpture Give Yourself Time, made of hot glass and metal, shows the time-based growth of both flowers and butterflies that morph from caterpillars. After lots of leaf-eating, the caterpillar hangs upside down from a leaf and spins itself a silky cocoon to radically transform its body into a butterfly or moth.
The exhibition also includes a site-specific installation of a colorful, large-scale wheat paste mural of mandalas based on photo of the area’s pollinators (such as moths and salamanders) and magnified images of local pollen created with nontoxic, environmentally friendly, and temporary materials.
“There are traditional pieces, but other works that will surprise you, and make you think, ‘Wow, I hadn’t thought of pollination in that way before,” curator Schmuki said. “Some are more abstract, like music. You’ll feel it when you see it, and you’ll instinctively know that this is important.”
DesChene, who is Indigenous, said the installation strives to epitomize “dialogical art,” an Indigenous art form that refers to the idea of allowing conversations and connections that influence the progress and outcome of a piece.
“The question I always like to ask is, ‘How do we get people excited to talk to each other?’” she said. “Instead of telling people what to think, we want to invite people to have a conversation while they create and learn. Art provides a great way to begin discussions about topics that are important to us.”
Since 2009, DesChene and Schmuki, working as PlantBot Genetics, have employed community collaboration and a solar-powered mobile art space to promote critical thinking and political action around environmental issues. Their work explores the corporate influence in food production and distribution. The next-generation robot-plant hybrids they create showcase the journey of food from farm to plate.
“Art has the ability to change the way we see the world by awakening our curiosity,” Schmuki said. “My hope is that people who view this exhibition and participate in the process will become curious about our world and feel inspired to take action to improve it.”
The exhibition will feature works by Ilene Adams, Jhonattan Arango, Milena Arango, Elliott Block, Barbara Bose, Anthony Burks, Eli Cecil, Lara Chapman, Joel Cohen, Liz Colomé, Pia Dugger, Julius Eb, Christine Ellinghausen, Carol Erenrich, Gail Erickson, Andrea Facusse, Mark Fletcher, Judy Gaggero, Daisy Galán, Richard Gobout, Arlet Gomez, Rose Gong Monier, Sofie Granthon, Andrew Hollimon, Clara Jejune, Autumn Kioti Horne, Scott Klimek, Victoria Rose Martin, Doreen McGunagle, Astrid Mora, Jo Ann Nava, Wendy Navarrete, Daniel Newcomb, Marion Roberts, Renata Rodrigues, Jamie Rodriguez, Ted Shaine, Valerie Solaas, Haydee Ullfig, Judy Van Horn, Bridget Vizoso, Carin Wagner and Barbara Ziev.
Beyond Blossoms: The Power of Pollinators runs through June 22 at the Robert M. Montgomery Jr. Building at 601 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth Beach. Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visit palmbeachculture.com/blossoms for more information.