CINCINNATI— Cincinnati Art Museum is getting ready for swarm weather…

The museum aims to help Cincinnati bee inspired, bee vibrant, and bee connected with two new beehives, to be installed on the museum grounds in a partnership with the Queen City Pollinator Project, in mid-April.

The Cincinnati Art Museum’s focus on community wellness supports bringing in honeybees to aid the health of the entire community. Pollinators are a vital part of a balanced ecosystem. Nearly all pollinators are suffering from declines and installing hives assists their repopulation.

“Urban spaces provide a unique opportunity to support pollinators, as well as create educational opportunities for all involved. We are sure everyone who sees the bees will be ‘pollen’ in love,” said Carrie Driehaus, Co-Founder at Queen City Pollinator Project.

The Women’s Committee of the Cincinnati Art Museum is the hive sponsor and the program is supported by the museum’s Green Team made up of museum staff members.

The museum is also seeking bee support from the community. The public will be able to “adopt a bee” for a $5 or $10 donation from May 3–31. Each donation provides an opportunity to name one of the 60,000 bees who will reside in the museum’s two hives. Additional contests will allow the public to vote for names of the queen bees. All funds raised will support the museum’s community wellness initiatives.

The hives will sit amidst a pollinator garden, a foot off the ground in a mulch bed near the Longworth administrative wing on the west side of the building. Additional hives may be added in the future. These “friendly” bees which rarely sting can travel up to three miles from their hive, so the museum’s bees may be seen all over the city.

In future years, sweet success with the program might mean the museum bees produce honey to use and sell. This could mean future Terrace Café recipes highlighting honey and some jars to purchase in the Museum Shop. Community programs will be developed, and opportunities to educate and inspire with bees from artworks in the museum’s permanent collection are underway.

The museum has made many exterior additions over the last year, including the outdoor public space, the Art Climb, which opened in May 2020. With more than 275,000 visitors in its first ten months, the one-of-a-kind civic and art space features outdoor artworks, with more are set to be installed within the next year. The grounds feature a new front parking lot and arrival court, as well as the new electric vehicle charging stations.

Queen City Pollinator Project (QCPP)

QCPP challenges businesses in Greater Cincinnati to become community leaders in environmental sustainability and challenges every citizen to take action to protect and support pollinators in their own yards. Learn more at  queencitypollinatorproject.org.

About the Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum is supported by the generosity of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Cincinnati Art Museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Cincinnati Art Museum gratefully acknowledges operating support from the City of Cincinnati, as well as our members. Free general admission to the Cincinnati Art Museum is made possible by a gift from The Rosenthal Family Foundation. Special exhibition pricing may vary. Parking at the Cincinnati Art Museum is free. Visit cincinnatiartmuseum.org for more information.