This unique project was a collaboration of many folks, woven into one inspiring and joyful project sited at the MSU Botanical Gardens. This Strawbale Wall Project is called Beeing Inn, because it hosts tubes that native pollinator bees now inhabit.
This rich co-creation was brought together by Steve Baiback, art instructor for the Reclamation Studio Class at the MSU Residential College of Arts and Humanities (RCAH) to explore and demonstrate natural building materials.
Integrating the Strawbale Studio, Deanne co-designed the installation and was brought in as artist-in-residence for a week to share hands-on skills involved with strawbale construction and earth plaster with the Art Students who enthusiastically participated in the construction of the wall.
Folks at Pekham, a facility for people with challenges, also contributed by making tiles that were embedded into the surface of the wall. This part of the process was assisted by RCAH ceramic instructor Doug DeLind.
What a great team ! We all really had a good time dancing through the practical and artistic challenges…and successfully “bringing into being” our vision !