The Birds and the Bees and More: Pollinators

Everyone’s Buzzing about the New Exhibit at the California Nature Art Museum

Four artists share their unique visions of the world of pollinators, and a collaboration with UCSB’s Cheadle

Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration focuses on the importance of native bees.

The staff and board of directors for California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum) is excited to bring the important topic of pollinators to their gallery for the first time. Featuring original art by Ava Roth, Susan McDonnell, Elizabeth Weber, and Cynthia James, each artist brings a unique perspective to their pollinating subjects. Toronto artist Ava Roth joins forces with honey bees to produce a series of artworks featuring bee-created honeycombs which she then imaginatively augments with other media.
Susan McDonnell fashions luminous paintings with compositions featuring a variety of creatures such as bats and butterflies – lesser known as pollinators, but who fulfill that vital role in a variety of  ecosystems. Documentary photographer Elizabeth Weber captures unique images of monarch butterflies to bring attention to their dwindling numbers, inspiring homeowners to plant native species in their yards and gardens to support pollinators. Santa Barbara artist Cynthia James, recognizes the increasing risks faced by pollinators like bees, and crafts fantastical paintings of flowers that seem slightly menacing, a subtle reference to pesticides which harm them.

This exhibit is also a collaboration with the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration at UC Santa Barbara. The Cheadle Center’s contribution focuses on native bees, including high-resolution images of rare, local bees from the UCSB Natural History Collection, and images of bees visiting flowers of native plants for an up-close look at their beauty and biodiversity. The exhibit not only showcases honey bees (the most widely known pollinator), but also native bees, butterflies, birds, and bats!

“We are excited to shine a light on the importance of pollinators, as the world becomes more aware of the vital work they do while being challenged by pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change,” said Stacey OtteDemangate, Executive Director for California Nature Art Museum. “We didn’t want to tell this story without a partner deeply involved in this work, and so are grateful for the collaboration with the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration at UCSB. We are equally grateful to the four artists who have shared their immense talent, and unique visions of the world of pollinators.”

A dozen pinned native bee specimens and close-up images are on loan from the Cheadle Center and present an opportunity to get a peek into this small, yet mighty world. Mounted beside the actual native bee specimens will be 16” x 20” images of each one, with an accompanying magnifying glass so that visitors of all ages can closely study each bee. The Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration at UCSB will also provide a range of materials for a resource table for visitors to explore. In addition, a printed activity guide for youngsters will also be provided with admission for families and youth groups, with a range of activities to invite deeper observation of the art and the specimens, driving home the point that we all need to take action to support native pollinators.

“The images from the show are part of a national project, called Big Bee which the Cheadle Center is leading in concert with 13 institutions across the country focused on answering some fundamental
questions about bees and how they respond to climate change. We are trying to understand why some of our bees are more at risk of decline than others,” said Katja Seltmann, PhD, Director, Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration, University of California Santa Barbara. “The findings from this research are intended to guide future conservation strategies, pinpoint species at risk, and enhance our understanding of the factors contributing to the decline of these vital species. We would lose a lot if there are no more bees to pollinate the Earth’s plants. Wild ecosystems and our food supply would be rendered unrecognizable. Without bees, our dinner tables would certainly be more boring.”

The Cheadle Center is focused on bee (and other insect) conservation as well as the preservation of local wildlife habitats. From the 350 acres of restored coastal California habitats (saving over 17 endangered rare plants), to the biodiversity research they do, their mission is to protect these biodiversity hotspots, which need pollinators. The Cheadle Center welcomes guests to take a walking tour around the North Campus Open Space, see their pollinator garden by the Visitor Center, and enjoy all of the native plants and wildlife. For more information please visit https://cityofgoleta.stqry.app/tour/15149.

California Nature Art Museum is open Weekdays 11 am-4 pm (except Tuesday and Wednesday) and Weekends 10 am-5 pm and is supported by the generosity of its sponsors and members. For more information about California Nature Art Museum please visit www.calnatureartmuseum.org. To schedule interviews with Executive Director, Stacey Otte-Demangate, or request broadcast-quality B-roll and highres images, please contact Joni Kelly, Communications Specialist at 805-886-1869 or jonikellycomm@gmail.com.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA NATURE ART MUSEUM
California Nature Art Museum uses art to educate and inspire people to better understand and
care for our dwindling natural and wilderness areas. California Nature Art Museum is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization with a small staff of 2 full-time and 4 part-time employees, augmented by
35 dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers. The mission of California Nature Art Museum is to
inspire our community and visitors to enjoy, value, and conserve wildlife and natural areas through
art, and provide artistic, educational, and field experiences of nature for that purpose. Our vision is
to be recognized as an exceptional and innovative leader in inspiring our communities and visitors
to value wilderness and other natural areas through the lenses of a diversity of artists. The
California Nature Art Museum strives to collaborate with others for the betterment of our
communities.

ABOUT UCSB CHEADLE CENTER FOR BIODIVERSITY & ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION
Formed in 2005, from a fusion of the Museum of Systematics and Ecology (MSE) and the Ecological
Restoration Program, the Vernon and Mary Cheadle Center for Biodiversity & Ecological
Restoration is a center under the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Office of Research. The
mission of the Cheadle Center is to preserve and enhance our natural heritage through leading
biodiversity research, conservation, and ecological restoration. This includes the stewardship of
campus lands, organismal biology, and preservation of natural history collections. Natural history
collections serve as unique and vital records of life on Earth. The Collections & Biodiversity program
investigates our world’s variety of life, encompassing species, ecosystems, and genetic differences,
aiming to safeguard this diversity for the future. By integrating multiple disciplines like evolution,
ecology, the study of living organisms, genetics, and the science of conserving species and habitats,
they work toward understanding biodiversity on this changing planet.