About Bee Kingdom
Bee Kingdom was created from members of Mecha Glass which dissembled in 2007. This glass-based studio collective was originally conceived by Ryan Marsh Fairweather, Tim Belliveau and Phillip Bandura in 2004 and expanded in April 2011 to include Kai Georg Scholefield. All members graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design from the glass program in 2005 and decided they wanted to pursue an artistic lifestyle\career and built a hot-glass studio in their backyard in the northwest of Calgary, Alberta.
The Bee Kingdom home studio has had changing residents living and working there since its beginnings in 2004. After a number of years experience, trials and errors the four have a sharper focus which includes a fine balance between select designs known as "studio series", custom sculpture\installation and fine art. Collaborative works share aesthetics contributed by the four artists and are also informed by the characteristics of their glass studio.
Bee Kingdom is named so for a couple of reasons. Ryan, Kai, Tim and Phillip live and work communally at a seemingly constant non-stop pace. When relating the quality of hot glass it is relatable to flowing honey. We also run our own glass blowing studio, which we consider our kingdom.
Our attraction to glass is drawn from the natural beauty of glass. Glass as a medium is unique and working with the raw, molten material has limitless possibilities. The process is exciting, team oriented, physically demanding, requires precise coordination and demands your mind's complete presence; it is a richly rewarding medium to work with.
Bee Kingdom’s experiences with traveling exhibitions have informed our focus on cultural exchange with our practice, working with Berlin Glas e.V. in Germany and various groups in Calgary, Alberta at the same time. Each member works with personal narratives and iconographies creating a wider diversity of ideas.
Pilchuck Centerpiece Designers
Bee Kingdom has been selected as Pilchuck's 30th Anniversary Centerpiece Designers. In May they traveled to Stanwood, WA, home to world-reknowned Pilchuck Glass School; operating with an amazing team of volunteers, aka the Poleturners, and 10 days, they completed 130 glass centerpieces designed by Bee Kingdom. The glass pieces are made for the school's annual auction which is held in Seattle on October 30th, 2008 and helps fuel Pilchuck's annual running costs. Thank you Poleturners!!!