Texas Bee Oasis
Dallas-based artist Jen Rose crafts tiny sculptures that are not only beautiful, they help pollinators as they go about their work of supporting plants and our ecosystems. These sculptures, called bee cups, are eco-friendly watering stations made from hollow porcelain cones that resemble colorful flowers. Each one collects a few drops of water from the sprinkler or rain and provides a bee-friendly resting station for pollinators. Placed together in groupings called an “oasis,” the bee cups range from a colorful arrangement of a dozen or so, to an ombre gradient of over 500.
Rose began experimenting with the bee cup concept in 2019, curious about questions like “do bees have toes?” and “how long is a bee tongue?” “Pollinating insects are so vital to our ecosystem that I wanted to design something truly helpful, and not cause unintentional harm,” Rose said, explaining the motivation for her research and creative process. The final design holds a maximum of 1 cc of liquid, allowing for evaporation by the evening hours, eliminating the risk of mosquito breeding. The interior of each cup is embossed with ridges. “This gives the bees something to grip onto as they are drinking, much like a shower mat, to prevents falls,” Rose explains.
The Garden’s original installation, Texas Bee Oasis, is made of roughly 3,000 bee cups. Its location in the Fuller Garden gives respite and water to our Garden pollinators, as well as beauty and joy to our visitors.
Bee cups are available for sale in our three gift shops – they make beautiful additions to your own garden while supporting ecological health and diversity.
About FWBG | BRIT Art Exhibitions
FWBG | BRIT presents a variety of venues across our campus in which to enjoy art related to, and in, nature.
The BRIT building offers two distinctive art viewing spaces in the BRIT building: the elegant Madeline R. Samples Exhibit Hall and the smaller, more intimate Upper Atrium Collections Gallery. The Samples Exhibit Hall showcases botanical art and artwork dealing with topics such as ecology, plants, sustainability, conservation, and the natural world – we highlight work by local and national artists, both well-known and emerging. The Upper Atrium Collections Gallery features a rotation of botanical and nature-based prints from our Library collection, including The Arader Natural History Collection of Art. We honor and celebrate the traditional roots of botanical art, while also expanding and redefining the field for the 21st century.
Art can also be enjoyed throughout The Garden, with permanent outdoor sculpture installed along our many groves, paths, and clearings. We occasionally welcome contemporary sculptors to install large-scale artworks in our gardens for visitors to enjoy and reflect upon.
Program Information
Admission to the BRIT building is free for all. Admission to The Garden is always free for members; non-members may purchase tickets here.
Organizer
Erin Starr White
Website
https://fwbg.org/about-us/staff/erin-starr-whiteOrganizer
Erin Starr White
Website
https://fwbg.org/about-us/staff/erin-starr-whiteTexas Bee Oasis
Organizer
Erin Starr White
Website
https://fwbg.org/about-us/staff/erin-starr-whiteOrganizer
Erin Starr White
Website
https://fwbg.org/about-us/staff/erin-starr-whiteDallas-based artist Jen Rose crafts tiny sculptures that are not only beautiful, they help pollinators as they go about their work of supporting plants and our ecosystems. These sculptures, called bee cups, are eco-friendly watering stations made from hollow porcelain cones that resemble colorful flowers. Each one collects a few drops of water from the sprinkler or rain and provides a bee-friendly resting station for pollinators. Placed together in groupings called an “oasis,” the bee cups range from a colorful arrangement of a dozen or so, to an ombre gradient of over 500.
Rose began experimenting with the bee cup concept in 2019, curious about questions like “do bees have toes?” and “how long is a bee tongue?” “Pollinating insects are so vital to our ecosystem that I wanted to design something truly helpful, and not cause unintentional harm,” Rose said, explaining the motivation for her research and creative process. The final design holds a maximum of 1 cc of liquid, allowing for evaporation by the evening hours, eliminating the risk of mosquito breeding. The interior of each cup is embossed with ridges. “This gives the bees something to grip onto as they are drinking, much like a shower mat, to prevents falls,” Rose explains.
The Garden’s original installation, Texas Bee Oasis, is made of roughly 3,000 bee cups. Its location in the Fuller Garden gives respite and water to our Garden pollinators, as well as beauty and joy to our visitors.
Bee cups are available for sale in our three gift shops – they make beautiful additions to your own garden while supporting ecological health and diversity.
About FWBG | BRIT Art Exhibitions
FWBG | BRIT presents a variety of venues across our campus in which to enjoy art related to, and in, nature.
The BRIT building offers two distinctive art viewing spaces in the BRIT building: the elegant Madeline R. Samples Exhibit Hall and the smaller, more intimate Upper Atrium Collections Gallery. The Samples Exhibit Hall showcases botanical art and artwork dealing with topics such as ecology, plants, sustainability, conservation, and the natural world – we highlight work by local and national artists, both well-known and emerging. The Upper Atrium Collections Gallery features a rotation of botanical and nature-based prints from our Library collection, including The Arader Natural History Collection of Art. We honor and celebrate the traditional roots of botanical art, while also expanding and redefining the field for the 21st century.
Art can also be enjoyed throughout The Garden, with permanent outdoor sculpture installed along our many groves, paths, and clearings. We occasionally welcome contemporary sculptors to install large-scale artworks in our gardens for visitors to enjoy and reflect upon.
Program Information
Admission to the BRIT building is free for all. Admission to The Garden is always free for members; non-members may purchase tickets here.