The Good of the Hive mural creates a buzz in Downtown Scranton
Scranton Tomorrow's Mural Arts Program continues with the installation of a mural honoring honeybees on the Scranton Civic Ballet Company building, Rear 234 Mifflin Avenue, Downtown Scranton. The mural is part of artist Matthew Willey's global art project, The Good of the Hive.
This project is made possible with support from the Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, Lackawanna County Commissioners, Lackawanna Heritage Valley, The University of Scranton, Space Time Mead and Cider Works, Terrana Law Firm, and Lackawanna College.
About the Artist
Matthew Willey’s mission is to ignite radical curiosity and active engagement around planetary health issues through art, bees and storytelling. His vision is a world filled with people that see and experience the beauty and connectedness of all things.
“The hive I'm creating is a metaphor for us all: no matter your color, nationality, religion, gender, age or economic status. This piece of art is an idealized picture of health to focus on as we work toward solutions," he said.
His worldwide mural project demonstrates perseverance in the face of adversity. Six years into an estimated 20-year project, Willey has created 35 murals and installations with over 8,600 hand-painted bees. He has reached hundreds of thousands of people and created large-scale works at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C., Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in New York City and Burt’s Bees Global Headquarters in Durham, North Carolina.
Willey has shared The Good of the Hive stories through speaking engagements around the world, including presentations at the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the German and French Embassies in Washington, D.C., Smithsonian’s National Zoo, Duke University, Georgetown University, the Planetary Health Alliance 2018 annual meeting in Scotland, and appeared as a guest on many podcasts, including the National Education Association, and in educational institutions throughout the U.S.
Willey’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Reuters London, The Today Show, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, and countless other publications and media channels.
To learn more about Willey's global arts initiative, The Good of the Hive, visit thegoodofthehive.com. To learn more about Scranton Tomorrow's Mural Arts Program,