Honeybee Exhibit Opens At Audubon Today

Audubon Community Nature Center Senior Nature Educator Katie Finch (left) and artist Wendy Bale are ready for the Friday, August 1, 5–7 p.m. unveiling of Audubon’s newest educational exhibit that’s all about bees. Come and view the live demonstration honeybee hive, visit with the artist and educators, and enjoy refreshments, all for free

The Audubon Community Nature Center is unveiling a new educational and interactive exhibit on honeybees today.

Local multi-disciplinary artist Wendy Bale will be on hand at the Nature Center from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. today. People are invited to attend the free event to visit with the artist and nature educators, interact with the display, view the live honeybee hive, and enjoy snacks and drinks.

Reservations can be made by calling (716) 569-2345 or at AudubonCNC.org/events. Walk-ins are welcome.

Bale works in charcoal and clay but is primarily known for her paper sculptures.

Working with Audubon educators, Bale created 22 colorful, layered paper-cut images about honeybees, native bee species, and bee look-alikes. The images were installed in individual hexagon-shaped cells as an upgrade to a beautifully built, existing wooden honeycomb display. In each cell, answers to questions or more details are revealed when the corresponding button turns on a backlight.

Bale said, “For this light box project, I explored the challenges of creating art that would both be viewed from the front and reveal something exciting when illuminated. The interactive nature of the display makes learning about bees fun!”

A Guild of American Papercutters member, Bale particularly enjoys discovering innovative techniques within this versatile material. Regardless of the method or the medium, she delights in sharing the wonders of nature with the viewer. Her work can be found in regional and national galleries and online at WendyBaleArt1st.com.

Funding for the project is made possible through Arts Services Inc.’s Creative Impact Fund thanks to a New York State Senate Initiative supported by the NYS Legislature and the Office of the Governor, and administered by the New York State Council on the Arts.