[act-ma] 1/26 6PM: Beehive True Cost of Coal lecture, Cambridge Arts Council's Gallery

[Susie Husted]

On Wednesday, January 26 at 6:00 PM, members of the art-activist organization 
The Beehive Collective will discuss their latest graphic campaign, “The True 
Cost of Coal,” at the Cambridge Arts Council’s CAC Gallery, 344 Broadway, 2nd 
floor.  



Two years in the making, “The True Cost of Coal” is an elaborate narrative 
illustration that explores the complex story of mountaintop removal coal mining 
and the broader impact of coal usage in Appalachia and beyond. As the Collective 
notes, “Appalachian organizers have worked tirelessly for decades to bring 
mountaintop removal coal mining to national consciousness and to stop the 
practice from decimating the environment. The Beehive Collective contributes a 
unique superpower to these efforts - a visual strategy for depicting  both the 
big picture of climate change, overconsumption and globalization while 
simultaneously honoring the small, human-scale stories of loss and survival.”

Headquartered in Machias, Maine, the Beehive Collective has gained international 
attention for its collaboratively produced graphics campaigns focused on stories 
of resistance to forces such as globalization, resource extraction, and 
biotechnology. Each campaign begins with extensive interviews with affected 
communities that the Collective then translates into complex drawings, avoiding 
the use of text and human characters to make their images accessible regardless 
of literacy and language. The resulting “anti-copyright” images are printed as 
large-format banners and downloadable flyers, used by the Collective as 
educational and organizational tools for encouraging dialogue, critical 
reflection, and strategic action.

In their interactive “picture-lecture” on Wednesday,  January 26, the Bees will 
lead the audience through the 15-foot graphic while interweaving anecdotes, 
statistics, and history to prompt a discussion of contemporary struggles over 
energy and coal. More information on The True Cost of Coal can be found here: 
http://www.beehivecollective.org/english/coal.htm.

This event is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Drawing in Public, 
curated by Liz K. Sheehan, on view at the CAC Gallery through February 18, 2011.
More information about the exhibition is available at 
www.cambridgeartscouncil.org or call the Cambridge Arts Council at 617-349-4380.
______________________________________________________________________________
CAC Gallery hours:
M, W: 8:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.; T, TH: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; F: 8:30 a.m. -  Noon
CAC Gallery is located in the Cambridge City Hall Annex at 344 Broadway, at the 
corner of Broadway and Inman Street. Metered parking is available on Inman 
Street and Broadway.
Directions via MBTA: Take the MBTA Red Line to Central Square. At street level 
proceed west on Massachusetts Avenue (towards Harvard Square) to Inman Street. 
Turn right and proceed north for four blocks to Broadway. Turn left and walk one 
block to Inman Street.


      
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