TEMA/ Worker Bees
WORKER BEES
Groundswell Community Mural Project ©
www.groundswellmural.org
Acrylic on Parachute Cloth, Glass and Ceramic Tile on Cement
3 x 180 ft (2 sides)
2009
Lead Artist: Clare Herron
Assistant Artist: Chris Beck
Youth Artists: Dwight Vaccianna, Jayquan Harris,
Amathya Edwards, Diamond Partlow, Khassim Hall, Michael Lashley, Olivia Grabar Sage, Rashawn Barino, Anthony Huertero, YeYan, Michelle Carter, Adan Palermo, Joanna Palermo, Eric Palermo, Jorge Beltram, Sidney Jennings, Daniel Alempijevic
Volunteers: Michelle Hayworth, Paget Walker, Katie Hall, Kristin Koch, Julio Flores, Dionne DiBlasio, Shannon Bailey.
Location: Tillary St. Between Jay St. & Adams St.
Community Partner: Department of Transportation
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
In Tuesdays (Teen Empowerment Mural Apprenticeship) TEMA, fifteen youth worked with artist’s Clare Herron and Chris Beck to create a public artwork in partnership with the Department of Transportation (DOT). Taking a small process in nature (pollination) and showing its significance on a larger scale, similarities between humans and bees are translated in a visual narrative that follows the path of bike/car traffic spanning 200 ft.
Painted side: The image begins with a few small blades of grass. Following the composition, flowers begin to sprout, bees begin to pollinate the flowers, and the design becomes more complex, including layers of flowers and abstract patterns from nature.
Mosaic side: The beginning of the mosaic side starts with a large bee on a flower. The viewer follows the bee as it makes its way across the barrier, coming into the foreground and receding into the background. Towards the end of the mosaic, the bee metamorphoses into a human figure and walks to work with a briefcase across a bed of flowers.
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