Art and Activism Unite in The Good of the Hive
Artist and activist Matthew Willey is on a mission to paint 50,000 individual honeybees as part of his The Good of the Hive project.
His purpose? To raise awareness about the decline in honeybee populations, their importance as pollinators and the powerful connection between honeybee hives and human societies.
Last year, one of his stops was Burt’s Bees headquarters in Durham, North Carolina. There, he participated in Burt’s Bees Culture Day, joining some 400 employees and partners in a celebration of Burt’s Bees brand values, and to paint a mural on the side of the building.
One year later, Paula Alexander, Director – Sustainable Business & Innovation for Burt’s Bees, sat down with Matthew to discuss his Good of the Hive project, the experience of working with Burt’s Bees and how that has changed his approach to his art and activism.
Watch this 5-minute video of their conversation.
Paula Alexander works on the Good of the Hive mural on the side of Burt’s Bees headquarters in Durham, North Carolina.
Artist-activist Matthew Willey looks up at one of the 50,000 honeybees he’s painting around the country as part of his The Good of the Hive project.
Matthew Willey stands before a section of the mural he painted with help from Burt’s Bees employees.
Employees walk in front of a completed section of the Good of the Hive mural on the Burt’s Bees headquarters building in Durham, North Carolina.
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Learn more about Burt’s Bees Culture Day 2017 and its “Bee Bold, Bee Informed” theme.