We Bee-Long Exhibit

Designed for The Muse Knoxville, the We Bee-Long exhibit engages children in understanding the important role of pollinators and biodiversity, encouraging them to become conservation advocates for bees.

The architectural centerpiece of the exhibit is The Hexagon, drawing inspiration from honeycomb architecture, to create a self-supporting, materially efficient structure that immerses visitors in miniature pollinator gardens. Integrated benches put children on eye level with flowers and the pollinators that visit them, helping to eliminate the culture of fear that can be associated with bees. Vibrant accents of yellows and blues, colors that are most attractive to honeybees, embellish the structure and enhance the educational aspects of the design. 

Barber McMurry and The Muse unveiled We Bee-Long at the 2022 PARK(ing) Day in downtown Knoxville, which temporarily transforms on-street parking spaces into pop-up parks or sites for art, community engagement, and play. The Muse is a children’s science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) museum seeking to inspire young minds through transformative, hands-on learning experiences. 

This project was completed pro-bono in partnership with Hedstrom and Hickory Construction.