The bee statues at the Galleria are gone. Now, you can bid to own one.

Sarah Asch, Austin American-Statesman
·3 min read
Carmen Rangel, a visual artist in Austin, said she wanted to incorporate elements of Mexican folk art and the bright colors that define her work into her bee statue. The statue is called 'Four Elements.'
Carmen Rangel, a visual artist in Austin, said she wanted to incorporate elements of Mexican folk art and the bright colors that define her work into her bee statue. The statue is called 'Four Elements.'

Standing at 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide, 10 statues of bees painted in colorful designs dotted the Hill Country Galleria for the past year. Now, the Bee Cave Arts Foundation, which sponsored the project, is auctioning the statues off as part of a fundraiser.

Director Deby Childress said this is the first time the foundation has done an auction, but the intention of the bee statues was always to display them for a time and then sell them during a fundraiser. The statue is an original design featuring a bee sitting atop a hive that is identical to the city’s logo, she said.

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The statues are fiberglass covered in concrete, and a year ago when the project started the foundation received 45 designs to decorate the 10 bees. After the designs were narrowed down and contracts awarded, the statues were placed throughout the Galleria as part of the foundation's mission to install public art and attract tourists to the area, Childress said.

The foundation’s space at the Galleria is called the Hive.

Veronica Palmer, an illustrator who lives in Bee Cave, said her 'Blossoming Bee' design was inspired by the Hill Country landscape and local wildflowers.
Veronica Palmer, an illustrator who lives in Bee Cave, said her 'Blossoming Bee' design was inspired by the Hill Country landscape and local wildflowers.

The auction will raise funds for the foundation and its programs. The bees were ultimately decorated by local artists, including a Bee Cave illustrator, a freshman in high school, a group of five friends from Lakeway Elementary School, and a number of people in Austin.

“We're going to be doing scholarships for some high school students pursuing a degree in art in college,” Childress said. “We have our community programs where we work with different groups, and people come in and do activities here at the Hive. We've got our educational programming, our classes, workshops, and then we're going to be paying artists additional money for their work on bees.”

Before the auction launches, there will be a preview period from Nov. 20 to Nov. 30 so people can view the statues online, where the bidding process will occur. More information about the bidding can be found on the foundation’s website at beecavearts.foundation/bee-auction.

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The auction launches on Dec. 1 and will run through Dec. 12. The foundation is hosting a reception on Dec. 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to celebrate the auction at the Hive, across from Barnes and Noble. The party will feature art from students being considered for scholarships as well as a veterans exhibit and an exhibit by the Greater Austin Clay Artists.

“It's free and open to the public,” Childress said. “We'll have a lot going on. We'd love for everybody to come.”

The winners of the auction will be announced on Dec. 12 at 5 p.m.

“We welcome anyone who would want to bid,” Childress said. “This is our first time doing an auction so it's all kind of a learning experience for us, but we've had a lot of interest so we're very excited to see how it goes.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Bee Cave Art Foundation to auction off painted bee statues