ART FOR THE PEOPLE - EARTH

A Public Art Exhibit at the American Embassy in Beijing, China

This exhibit showcases environmentally focused community street art from the United States. It includes iconic works of American street art from a diverse array of renowned artists. The effort – which is a continuation of an ongoing project and the first of its kind to decorate the exterior walls of the Embassy compound in Beijing – highlights the American value of freedom of expression, the Embassy’s ongoing commitment to direct engagement with the Chinese, and the importance of public dialogue on environmental protection.

Matt was asked to submit three pieces from The Good of the Hive. A detail image from his mural at Smithsonian’s National Zoo, a detail image from his mural in Peterborough, NH, and a new piece he created in the studio will be on display from November 2021 through April 2022. This project will be The Good of the Hive’s second connection to Asia. One of Matt’s bees is also on display in Indonesia at an Orangutan rescue facility.

“The hive I am creating is a metaphor - the bee in relation to her hive is us to our world.  No matter the color, nationality, religion, gender, age, political or economic status, we are all connected. I am not 'designing' this project. I just keep imagining a world filled with people that see and experience the connectedness of all things and bees keep flying out of the end of my paintbrush. The fact that they have made it all the way to China in a city where public art isn’t legal, speaks to the power of art to create tangible change.” - Matt Willey