The Beehive Design Collective visited campus early in the week to talk on the application of visual art to social change.
Emily Simons, a representative of the Eastern Maine grassroots art group, presented the culmination of a project two years in the making, "The True Cost of Coal," at an evening lecture on Monday.
The Beehive Design Collective is a group of artists well-known for educational graphics campaigns. While the Collective is also involved in other projects, including an apprentice program and its dedication to revitalizing the Machias Valley Grange Hall in Machias, Maine, the talk focused on the artists' public awareness campaigns.
More than 90 percent of the group's budget comes from donations, which helps the group provide services for free.
According to their website, the group attributes their success to "the desperate need for more healthy, and visual representation of the complex and overwhelming issues our society is facing."
Professor of Art Mark Wethli considered the talk very successful. Simons visited with art classes throughout the week, including Wethli's "Public Art" course.
"The group combines art with environmental issues and education, and there are a lot of students here who want to be artists and care about social issues, so this event was a great way to see how the two might fit together," said Wethli.
The event was co-sponsored by the Department of Art and the Environmental Studies Program.
-Compiled by Monica Das.