Beehive Design Collective

The Beehive Design Collective

Founded	2000
Focus	resistance to corporate globalization
Location	Machias, Maine
Area served	World
Method	graphical media
Website	beehivecollective.org

the Beehive Collective's 6 ft. tall Plan Colombia poster

The Beehive Design Collective is a volunteer-driven non-profit arts organization that uses graphical media as educational tools to communicate stories of resistance to corporate globalization. ^[1] The purpose of the group, based in Machias, Maine, is to "'Cross-pollinate the grassroots" by creating collaborative, anti-copyright 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 of complicated social and political issues ranging from globalization, free trade, militarism, resource extraction, and biotechnology.

Graphic campaigns

The Collective creates graphic campaigns addressing diverse geo- and socio-political issues. The illustrations are informed and developed through extensive research. The most recent campaign resulted from travel to Mexico and interviews of a broad spectrum of people. 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.^[2]

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 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) fabric flipbook/storybook. Audiences are led through a two-hour interactive, conversational presentation. ^[3]

Print distribution

One of the Beehive's goals in their graphic distribution is to have 50% of each print run distributed to communities in the global south free of charge. 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 anti-copyright, 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) ^[4]
• 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

Installing a new roof on the Machias Valley Grange Hall.

Since the year 2000, the Collective has been engaged in the restoration of the Machias Valley Grange Hall, located in Machias, Maine.,^[5] 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".^[6][7] 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.^[8] The group also received the Maine State Historic Preservation Excellence Award.

References

External links

• The Beehive Collective's website