Glenn and Carol Arthur Earth to Sky Planetarium
Mayland Community College - Earth to Sky Park - Burnsville, NC
Completed August 2022
I am nothing short of honored to have The Good of the Hive be a permanent part of the geodesic dome at the Glenn and Carol Arthur Planetarium at Mayland’s Earth to Sky Park in Burnsville NC. This mural explores brave new worlds of pollinators and painting for me. Although a honey bee hive is prominent, this mural mainly focuses on the hidden (and not so hidden) life of nocturnal pollinators such as moths, fireflies, beetles and more.
Earth to Sky Park is unique in that it is one of only two certified dark sky locations in the world with both an observatory AND a planetarium. The other is in Korea. I learned about light pollution and how it is one of the easiest types of pollution to change. Click HERE to learn more about it.
This project took three rounds of painting and was challenged with logistical problems from covid related construction issues to unseasonably cold and rainy weather.
The biggest challenges I faced on this project were on my end. Not only were there two deaths in my family during this project, but I experienced a level of exhaustion I have not experienced in 7 years of doing this work. It wasn’t really physical. It was emotional and psychological. During this project, I found out that the Birds and the Bees Protection Act that we had worked so hard to bring to a vote in New York State was not even put to the floor for a vote. Polling showed that most New Yorkers wanted this bill to pass, and the science was irrefutable. Yet it was not even brought for a vote because of politics and money. I realized for the first time that money really does inform political process, not just influence it. Pesticide companies have power because of money whether their products are killing bees or messing with human nervous systems or not. After that, I saw Roe v Wade get overturned and as a gay man who has been marching and working for women and LGBTQ rights since 1993, I was angry.
I am so grateful for the incredible kindness and understanding of the team at Mayland. I believe everything happens for a reason and I was not just “tired.” I was being slowed down in a safe space to look closer at the work and to make some changes. I said it from before I did this project that I felt like this was a pivot project. I wasn't even sure what that meant, but I knew something would be different about the work when it was complete - and I found this to be true.
I love doing murals at educational locations. Not only do I leave behind something. that hopefully helps. open minds to seeing the world differently, but I go through my own education process every time. I bring things with me to the future projects that I was gifted with during the creation process.
We are truly talking the story of the bees and pollinators to whole new levels with this one. And I feel like I learned some things about myself I couldn’t learn any other way. That is all I am going to say for now… The rest will be in the film coming in 2023.
The Process
Each mural becomes a collaborative experience in that I do my best to combine the story of the bees and The Good of the Hive with aspects of the location where the mural will live. Earth to Sky is a perfect example of how this happens. Most of what happens at the park is based on the stars and the night sky. It seemed only natural to depict nocturnal pollinators along with the bees.
(Sketch for a Rosy Maple Moth)
The Community
This mural, as well as every other pollinator I have painted, is not just about bees. It is also about the people and the place. Earth to Sky Park is a part of Mayland Community College and is becoming a beloved reason to travel to the Blue Ridge Mountain region.
