Posts Tagged: Donna Billick

Art Friendly, Bee Friendly, People Friendly

The half-acre garden, the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven planted last fall at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis, is not only bee friendly but it will be art friendly.

UC Davis entomologist-artist Diane Ullman and artist Donna Billick, who founded the Art-Science Fusion Program and teach classes on campus, are gearing up for spectacular additions to the haven.

At the entrance to the garden will be a two-column sculpture of decorated bee boxes; the first column depicting activity within the hive, and the second column depicting activity outside the hive.

Outside the hive? Think workers gathering nectar, pollen, propolis and water.

A hexagonal block beneath a sturdy almond tree in the garden will hold a giant bee sculpture--yes, let's put the beleagured honey bee on a pedestal! Ceramic art panels will adorn the sides. Billick is creating the giant bee sculpture. The Ullman-Billick classes are providing the rest of the art in the garden.

Bee friendly, art friendly, people friendly.

The haven will be a year-around food source for bees and other pollinators and an educational experience for visitors, who can learn the plight of the honey bee and the importance of having bees in our gardens. Plus, visitors will glean ideas on what to plant in their own gardens to attract pollinators.

The public celebration is in its early planning stages, but the date is set and all systems are green:

Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010.

View of the garden

THIS VIEW of the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven shows the almond tree where a giant bee sculpture will be. To the left, by the front gate, will be a two-column hive sculpture. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Donna Billick

ARTIST Donna Billick shows a ceramic tile she created that will be placed on the donor bench. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Diane Ullman

ENTOMOLOGIST-ARTIST Diane Ullman looks at the two-column hive sculpture that will be placed at the entrance to the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. The public opening is set Sept. 11. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Guarding the Turf

If you look closely at the colorful ceramic sign at the Harry H.Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, University of California, Davis, you'll see an entrance to a bee hive.

Entrance? Right. There's a hole in the skep, which tunnels to a hive in back of the sign.

And if you look really closely at the entrance, you'll see guard bees guarding their turf. They don't like home invasions or unwelcome visitors. When bees from other colonies try to sneak in to rob the honey stores, the guards chase them out. 

The sign? It's the work of Davis artist Donna Billick, who co-teaches art-and-science classes at UC Davis with entomologist-artist Diane Ullman, a professor in the Department of Entomology. 

Look for their students' "bee art" next spring at the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee friendly garden planted this fall next to the Laidlaw facility. A public opening is set for June 19.

Sign of the Times

THIS SIGN at the entrance to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey bee Research Facility is the work of Davis artist Donna Billick. The hole in the skep leads to a bee hive attached to the back of the sign. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Guarding the Hive

GUARDS at the bee colony make sure no intruders enter. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Lookout

A GUARD watches from the entrance of the hive as a battle ensues below. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Face of Darwin

Look closely at Charles Darwin's ceramic face.

You'll see selections from his secret notebooks and images of organisms that most influenced his scientific studies.

His beard is peppered with moths. You'll also find barnacles, iguanas, finches, orchids and other creatures on his face.

It is,  says Diane Ullman,  "a profound learning experience in and of itself."

The ceramic mosaic, appropriately titled "The Face of Darwin," will be among the art work displayed June 3-July 3 in the Buehler Alumni and Visitors' Center at UC Davis.

The background of "The Face":  Ullman, an entomologist-artist, taught a freshman seminar with fellow artist Donna Billick to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birthday.  Ullman and Billick co-founded the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program and serve as the co-directors. The seminar was  part of the Art/Science Fusion Program.

The Buehler art exhibit features more than 50 student photographs from Terry Nathan's class, "Photography: Bridging Art and Science," also part of the Art/Science Fusion Program. The photographs, Nathan said, explore the conceptual connections between art and science and the role of art and science on the UC Davis campus. 

A public reception takes place from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 4.

"The Face of Darwin" is both hauntingly beautiful and a vividly detailed study of the science that engulfed the evolutionary biologist. The eyes plead his passion, begging for  knowledge, understanding and realization.

It is, indeed, as Ullman said, "a profound learning experience in and of itself."

The Face of Darwin

'THE FACE OF DARWIN,' a ceramic mosaic created in a freshman seminar at UC Davis in commemoration of Darwin's 200th birthday anniversary, shows the organisms he studied and the secret notes he harbored. (Photo courtesy of Diane Ullman)

Faces Behind the Face

UC DAVIS STUDENTS (from left) Angela Kaczmarczyk, Danielle Chavez and Ricardo Calles with "The Face of Darwin." They were among the students working on the project. (Photo courtesy of Diane Ullman)

First story | Previous 5 stories