"Photos Courtesy The Good of the Hive © 2016" 

AUBURN –Auburn’s creative district expects a new streetside mural to be the focus of a global art project this fall as artist Matt Willey’s endeavors to hand-paint 50,000 honey bees – the number in a healthy, thriving hive.

The district’s Leslie Clark said The Good of the Hive initiative represents Auburn’s enduring connection to honeybees.

 "Photos Courtesy The Good of the Hive © 2016" 

Clark: “It dates back to the efforts of a third grade class at Calvert Elementary School to designate the honey bee as Nebraska’s state insect and it builds on the success of our Honeybees in the Heartland project, which really attracted thousands of visitors in the Nebraska passport program. These efforts highlight Auburn’s rich history and agricultural heritage while fostering both economic growth and community pride.”

Willey’s work appears at locations such as the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, Burt’s Bees Global Headquarters, the US Embassy in Beijing, China, New York, California and beyond.

Clark said she has been following the art project and shared Auburn’s story about promoting the honey bee. She said it convinced the artist to make a return trip to Nebraska.

Clark: “I reached out to share with him Auburn’s story about our goal of really promoting honey bees and how that – because it does connect back to our history – the efforts that we too, just like honeybees work for the good of their hive, we work for the good of our hive, the good of Auburn.”

The project is supported by the Auburn Development Council, Auburn Arts and Events and the Nemaha County Tourism Committee.

The mural will be uniquely created for Auburn on a Highway 75-adjacent building with Willey planning community events in September and October.