The City of Greenbelt, Department of Recreation Arts Program presents

How Does Your Garden Grow?

An Artful Afternoon at the Greenbelt Community Center

Sunday, May 1. FREE event. Kid-friendly; all ages welcome.

1-3pm: Make bug sculptures and pendants; Farm to Food activities for kids with volunteers from the Greenbelt Farmer’s Market; make a simple puppet for the 3pm magic lantern show

3pm: Nana Projects presents “How to Grow a Pickle”; Free theater ticket drawing (enter by 2:30pm)

1-4pm: Artists in Residence studio open house and sale

1-5pm: Free tours and May basket activity at the Greenbelt Museum historic house at 10-B Crescent Road

1-5pm: Visit the exhibits: Green From the Start: A History of Gardening in Greenbelt (Greenbelt Museum), Aerial: Drawings by Rebecca Clark (Greenbelt Recreation/ Arts)

Aerial Drawings by Rebecca Clark

April 11 - May 20, 2011

1. Bee 12 (grok), 2010 graphite on paper, 7 x 5.75 in.

2. Bee 10 (swarm), 2010. graphite on paper, diptych, overall: 15.75 x 27 in.

3. Bee 5 (rise), 2009. graphite on paper, 13.75 x 8.75 in.

4. Bee / Leaves / Branch, 2009-11. graphite on paper, diptych, overall: 30 x 44 in.

5. Bee 14 (dharma), 2011 graphite on paper, 9 x 12 in.

6. Bee 9 (hover), 2010 graphite on paper, 12 x 13.5 in.

7. Bee 11 (depart), 2010 graphite on paper, 4 x 8.5 in.

8. Bee 21 (up/root), 2008-11 graphite on paper, 22 x 15.5 in.

9. Bee 23 (for Buster), 2011 graphite on paper, 7.5 x 9.5 in.

10. Bee 19 (hum), 2011 graphite on paper, 13.25 x 13.5 in.

11. Bee 4 (look), 2009 graphite on paper, 6 x 7.5 in.

12. Bee 7 (sway), 2008-09 graphite on paper, 30 x 22 in.

13. Bee 8 (ascend), 2010 graphite on paper, 9.5 x 10 in.

14. Bee 16 (retreat), 2011 graphite on paper, 30 x 22 in.

15. Bee 18 (pilgrim), 2011 graphite on paper, 10 x 15.5 in.

16. Bee 20 (the real work), 2011 graphite on paper, 30 x 22 in.

17. Bee 17 (prana), 2011. graphite and colored pencil on paper, 11.25 x 13.5 in.

18. Bee 22 (nebulous nearness), 2011 graphite on paper, 30 x 22 in.

19. Bee 15 (lure), 2011 graphite on paper, 9 x 9.5 in.

Due to other exhibition commitments, the works in this show are not currently available for purchase.

The arts program congratulates Ms. Clark

on her first solo exhibition, which we are

honored and delighted to host.

Artist’s Comments

“My drawing is inspired by the natural world. By observing and contemplating the timeless rhythms

and patterns of air and earth, I find a connection with the small and humble inhabitants of these worlds.

To witness the wild intelligence in the eyes of a worker bee seeking pollen, or to follow the flight of a

scout bee during the course of its brief but intensely efficient life, is a wonder to behold. It is my hope

that these quiet drawings will convey a flash of the numinous, remind us of our relatively small and

new place on this planet, and awaken our consciousness to the larger cosmos of which we are a

part – an idea described by Plato as anima mundi, soul of the world.

Human beings have deep evolutionary bonds with nature, both physical and metaphysical. Yet

through arrogance, rabid pursuit of material wealth at the expense of the planet, and psychic alienation

from our true origins, we risk losing our soul and our home. The bee is a powerful symbol of the

precarious relationship between contemporary society and the natural world. As the bee population is

threatened, so is our hope for survival. Three-quarters of all plants on the planet depend on animals

and insects for pollination, as they cannot reproduce sexually. What we utilize from plants is crucial for

our own existence.

We could learn much about survival from the cooperative lifestyle of the bees who work nobly,

side-by-side, for the common good. It is a distinct honor to show my bee drawings in Greenbelt, a city

that was founded on the principles of social equality and cooperative living. To quote the Greenbelt

Community Pledge, ‘By sharing together all are enriched.’ Perhaps the bees will serve as reminders of

the vibrant power, beauty, and cooperative intelligence inherent in our nature. “

About Rebecca Clark rebeccaclarkart.com

“I grew up in Annapolis, Maryland surrounded by nature: the Chesapeake Bay estuary, its briny

tributaries, and the winding woods and cattail trails that hug its shores. Hours spent exploring these

worlds helped inform a strong sense of eco-consciousness, spirituality, and aesthetic. Pinecones, bird

feathers, and crab shells were among my earliest drawing subjects and, by studying them in their

habitat, I learned important lessons about life cycles, impermanence, and the fundamental

uncontrollability of nature.

I studied Art History at Swarthmore College and upon graduation in 1983 moved to Washington, DC to

work in its vibrant museum community. I have worked as a registrar with the Smithsonian American

Art Museum, The Phillips Collection, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the State

Department’s Art in Embassies Program. During off-hours, I pursued my education in painting and

drawing at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, and the Corcoran College of Art and

Design in Washington, DC. I also studied Landscape Design at the George Washington University.

I continue to draw during off-hours from my home in Hyattsville, Maryland, which I share with my

husband Jesse, our orange cat Homer, and a backyard paradise of holy creatures great and small.”

Programs are supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council.

The City of Greenbelt offers exhibitions, events and art classes for all ages year round!

Find out more at www.greenbeltmd.gov/arts.