The Beehive Design Collective is a volunteer-driven

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

art collective An artist collective is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the needs ...

that uses graphical media as educational tools to communicate stories of

resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

corporate globalization Economic globalization is one of the three main dimensions of globalization commonly found in academic literature, with the two others being political globalization and cultural globalization, as well as the general term of globalization. Econom ...

. The purpose of the Machias, Maine-based group is to "cross-pollinate the

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

" by creating collaborative,

anti-copyright Criticism of copyright, or anti-copyright sentiment, is a dissenting view of the current state of copyright law or copyright as a concept. Critics often discuss philosophical, economical, or social rationales of such laws and the laws' implem ...

images that can be used as educational and organizing tools. The most recognizable of these images are large format pen and ink posters, which seek to provide a visual alternative to

deconstruction The term deconstruction refers to approaches to understanding the relationship between text and meaning. It was introduced by the philosopher Jacques Derrida, who defined it as a turn away from Platonism's ideas of "true" forms and essences w ...

of complicated social and political issues ranging from

globalization Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...

, militarism, resource extraction, and

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

. Their work has been included in curated exhibitions internationally, including at the

Station Museum of Contemporary Art The Station Museum of Contemporary Art is a private museum owned and run by James and Ann Harithas devoted to contemporary art located in the Third Ward, Houston, Third Ward of Houston, Texas, Houston, Texas, United States. Started in 2001, the mu ...

and

Manifesta Manifesta, also known as the European Nomadic Biennial, is a European pan-regional contemporary cultural biennale. History Manifesta was founded in 1994 by Dutch art historian Hedwig Fijen. The first edition took place in Rotterdam. One of ...

. One of their most well-known works, ''Mesoamérica Resiste'', was a nine-year research project working directly with communities in Central America regarding effects of the

Mesoamerica Project The Mesoamerica Integration and Development Project, or in Spanish (PM), is a mechanism by which 10 countries centered on Central America implement regional projects for development and integration. The 10 participating countries are Belize, C ...

, and is typical of their community-engaged style of production.

Graphic campaigns

The Collective creates graphic campaigns addressing diverse geo- and socio-political issues. The illustrations are informed and developed through extensive research. The work for the poster began in 2004, and by 2010 the group had distributed over 10,000 posters in the Americas. The most recent campaign in 2012 resulted from travel to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and interviews of a broad spectrum of people. The “Mesoamerica Resiste” poster was used as their aid in this campaign and was unveiled in December 7, 2012 at the Machias Grange Hall. The group adheres to self-imposed rules during their campaign production, including absence of literal human depictions, use of cross-cultural imagery, and avoidance of cultural appropriation. The group bills its pieces as “portable murals,” using them as educational pieces while they travel around the world to do speaking engagements. The current trilogy in progress details globalization in the western hemisphere through a series of three graphics.

Storytelling

The Collective's educational work involves storytelling, international lecture circuits using giant reproductions of their posters as storytelling aids. "Picture lectures" feature a 30-feet high graphic and a fabric flipbook/storybook. Audiences are led through a two-hour interactive, conversational presentation.

Print distribution

One of the Beehive's goals in their graphic distribution is to have 50% of each print run distributed free to communities in the global south, including to groups working on the issues depicted in the prints. The remaining half are distributed internationally for donations. Posters are distributed at a wide range of venues, events, college campuses and academic events. All of the Beehive Collective's materials are distributed as

, and their production is encouraged for non-profit, non-commercial use to assist in publications and productions. The black and white imagery is designed to facilitate ease of reproduction. The Beehive distributes free clip-art digital imagery via their website and graphic CD-ROMs distributed from their webstore.

Graphic chronology

* Biodevastation (2000, redux 2002

* Homogenization Puppeteer (2000
more info
* Free Trade Area of the Americas (2001, redux 2003)

* Plan Colombia (2002, redux 2003

* Latin American Solidarity 2003 Conference (2003

* Maine Social Forum (2006

* Biojustice (2007

* The True Cost of Coal (2010

* Mesoamérica Resiste (2013

Machias Valley Grange Hall

Since the year 2000, the Collective has been engaged in the restoration of the Machias Valley The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, Grange Hall in Machias, Maine, built in 1904. The restoration labor was sourced from visiting volunteers. The building was initially used as the Collective's center of its stone mosaics program. Annually, the Collective throws a no-cost dress-up dance party of immense proportions called the "Blackfly Ball". There are ongoing events such as a weekly Open Mic night and annual Halloween celebration. In 2007, the Machias Valley Grange Hall was placed onto the National Register of Historic Places.

References

External links

The Beehive Collective's website
{{Authority control American artist groups and collectives Anti-globalization organizations Storytelling organizations Teaching Education in Washington County, Maine Machias, Maine Anarchist organizations in the United States Educational organizations based in the United States Arts organizations established in 2000