Academic and Public Art Facilitator Cameron Cartiere’s exhibition will highlight the decreasing bee populations which are being threatened by factors such as disease and parasites, pesticide use and loss of habitat. The aim of this installation is to raise interest and awareness of the plight of native pollinators in British Columbia (and across the country). This collaborative artwork was produced with the support of over 100 individuals across Richmond and Vancouver who assisted in creating the hand-made seed paper that was transformed into the 10,000 bumblebees on the gallery walls. Each bee holds the potential to produce a mini “pollinator pasture” and is a poetic representation of two living earthworks that are developing in Richmond and Kelowna. Near the end of the exhibition the public will be invited to take some of the bees away to plant in their own gardens – to create new bee friendly habitats while allowing the hive to “swarm” out of the gallery. Cameron Cartiere is an associate professor, writer and researcher specializing in public art, community engagement, urban renewal, sculpture parks, and curatorial practice. Cameron holds a PhD from the University of Arts London, Chelsea College of Art & Design. Her research examined place-specificity in public art. She has an MA in Museum Studies and a BFA in Sculpture. The reception will be held on September 18 at 7pm.