Visiting Artists: Beehive Design Collective

March 16, 2011
Richmond Center for Visual Arts, room 2008
5:30 p.m.

"True Cost of Coal"

A swarm is coming! The Beehive Design Collective is heading this way to release their long-anticipated "True Cost of Coal" graphic campaign!

Two years in the making, "The True Cost of Coal" is an elaborate narrative illustration that explores the complex story of mountaintop removal coal mining and the broader impacts of coal. The image is the culmination of an intensive, collaborative research process. To make the poster, the Beehive interviewed hundreds of community members throughout the Appalachian region. The Bees craft these stories into visual metaphors, weave them together in a patchwork "quilt," and share them with audiences as a larger-than-life banner.

The Beehive's picture-lectures prompt discussion and understanding of contemporary struggles about energy and coal, while honoring the deep legacy of the Appalachian experience. Upon seeing the graphic, Tanya Turner of Pineville, KY said, "This image is changing Appalachia. Appalachians are taking back Appalachia and this image is a tool for that change."

The Beehive Collective is currently booking a nation-wide tour to distribute the graphic throughout the country. For more information and to view the graphics visit www.beehivecollective.org o rbeehivecollective.blogspot.com.

This event is SAF funded.