The Conversation Piece
Albany, New York
The Location
In a powerful convergence of art and activism, Matt brought his landmark project The Good of the Hive to the New York State Capitol in Albany, where he installed a triptych titled Conversation Piece in direct support of the proposed Birds and Bees Protection Act. The state bill aimed to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides that had been decimating pollinator populations since their widespread adoption in the 1990s. The initiative was led by NRDC and including Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, Catskill Mountainkeepers, the Audubon Society and many concerned citizens. The science from Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies at Cornell was backing this bill the whole way.
Neonicotinoids had been linked to massive bee and bird losses impacting food production, contaminating New York’s water and soil, and raising serious human health concerns.
Scroll through the photo gallery below to view images from the project.
Why Honey Bees?
The triptych — displayed at the seat of state government — served as a visual call to action for lawmakers and the public alike. The act of painting made it nearly impossible for a politician to walk by without wondering what these bees were all about? The effort ultimately helped carry the cause forward: on December 22, 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Birds and Bees Protection Act into law, making it a first-in-the-nation piece of legislation prohibiting the use of neonicotinoid-treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds, as well as neonicotinoids on outdoor ornamental plants and turf.
When fully implemented, the law would eliminate up to 80–90% of the neonicotinoids entering New York’s environment annually.
Matt’s Conversation Piece, as well as his presence painting it within the Capitol, acted as a testament to the power of art to spark real legislative change — one painted bee at a time.
