For Immediate Release

"A NEW HIVE" is an installation series by Derrick R. Cruz which hopes to reflect one alarming vision -- a future without honey bees.

A NEW HIVE takes the current mysterious and alarming en masse disappearance of honeybee colonies as an opportunity to stage a hyperreal environment in which nature and myth are once again influential over science and industry and encourage balance. “The rich folklore and natural history behind bees inspires an ethereal childlike curiosity in individuals,” said Derrick R. Cruz. “I hope this curiosity will lead to contemplation, internalization, and then to genuine concern and action.”

This timely event draws New York’s attention to the plight of the honeybee -- Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) -- via sculpture, drawings, unique accessories, handcrafted apparel, curated artifacts and live specimens. Cruz hopes this combination will ignite a visual dialog that will foster a desire in visitors to coexist with natural systems rather than exploit them to oblivion. “The installation is an optimistic place filled with dark energies created to help us define our roles in what is shaping up to be a precarious future,” said Cruz.

Cruz’s A NEW HIVE creates a stimulating arena where visitors can glean the enigmatic influence of even the smallest members of our delicate ecology; an ecology not simply biological, but social and metaphysical.

Important participants include The Brooklyn Bee Apiary / Green Oasis Beekeepers of New York, Obscura Antiques, Flower Girl and Death & Company.

Proceeds from A NEW HIVE will support local efforts in New York focusing on the importance of bees and the art of beekeeping, as well as research to support sustainable beekeeping practices.

Cruz is best known for his cult accessories label Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons.