Although small, bees play a huge role in our lives. These fascinating insects keep plants and crops alive and, therefore, sustain human life. Without these hard-working creatures, the Earth may lose all the plants bees pollinate, all the animals that eat those plants, and so on. In Albert Einstein’s words, with no bees around, people will have around four years left to live.

Sadly, studies show that their numbers have dropped dramatically in the last few years, due to the uncontrolled use of pesticides, deforestation, and lack of flowers. So, what can we do to save their world? And implicitly, our world? Can art be the savior we all need? No, but through art, we can help protect these insects. BeeLoved Art is such a project that aims to raise awareness of this problem through the use of art.

Three talented illustrators and Hop-Hop LLC agency helped the Art Collection be born, an “exhibition” through which the team wants to save bees by financially supporting the Fundacja Akademia Pszczelarstwa i Zrównoważonego Rozwoju (Academy of Apiculture and Sustainable Development Foundation). Mary Zaleska, Joanna Wójtowicz, and Marina Raietska used their imagination to create a series of illustrations, dedicated to the cute pollinators.

Their plan is to save “those who save [the Earth] every day — the bees.” “Earth is like one giant beehive. And bees are a crucial part of making it more than just a rock floating in space. I wanted to emphasize that we share home and by taking care of bees we are taking care of the planet itself,” says Zaleska, a graphic designer and illustrator whose works appeared in Newsweek, Charaktery, Glamor, Pismo, and Wizje magazines, who imagined the Earth as a giant beehive.

Joanna Wójtowicz, a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, draws the picture of Mother Nature, a blonde lady surrounded by bees who is strong and beautiful. Talking about the illustration, the artist said: “The idea is a personification of Mother Nature. She symbolizes all you can find in nature — strength, beauty, abundance. These are gifts we should appreciate, not destroy. The bees are also extremely significant — they start every plant life, which is crucial to our existence.”

Marina Raietska is a young Ukrainian illustrator whose works find themselves at the intersection between vintage and modern. In her mind, the fate of both bees and humanity lies in our hands. And so, she drew a hand that looks like it’s blossoming from flowers. “The entire ecology of our planet depends on human intervention and we can both: Save it or destroy it. Bees are an integral part of our ecosystem and they need our human conservation and support,” the artist says.

These works of art are put together under the form of a crowdfunding project, the artists aiming to donate 10% to the foundation. But they don’t stop here: Together with their partner, Pasieki Rodziny Sadowskich, they helped the Honey Art Collection come to life, a limited-edition range of honey jars with labels featuring the illustrations developed by the three artists.

The purpose of the BeeLoved Art project is to make the Polish society take action and contribute to solving the bee problem. By financially supporting the initiative, the public will get something in return: For example, for zł10 or more, they will get a “thank you” email and some tips on how to help the bees. As the amount donated is higher, the packages’ content is more generous, including wallpapers for the smartphone, stickers, posters, and jars of honey.

Credits:

Agency: Hop-Hop LLC

Illustrators: Mary Zaleska, Joanna Wójtowicz, Marina Raietska

Partners: Fundacja Akademia Pszczelarstwa i Zrównoważonego Rozwoju, Pasieki Rodziny Sadowskich

Printing House: bookandart.pl

Music: bensound.com

Video: videezy.com