An artist known for painting a magnificent mural depicting 353 honeybees at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is making a buzz in Rifle.

Painter Matt Willey is going to create a mural at the Rifle Branch Library. The project is slated to begin Thursday, which will include events every Sunday through Sept. 9 — the scheduled day for mural completion.

The mural will be a continuation of Willey’s The Good of the Hive project. Started in 2008, Willey is committed to hand-painting 50,000 bees globally.

Willey said he started the project after a bee flew into his New York studio. He noticed an acuteness with the bee and started to connect with the pollinator. The bee was dying. 

Willey decided to do more research into what would cause this and learned about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Back in 2008, the cause of this disorder was a mystery to scientists. Millions of bees were dying all over the world. 

“I hadn’t seen one article, one magazine cover (on CCD),” said Willey. 

Willey kept researching and learned that bees can display what is known as altruistic suicide. 

“If a bee feels sick, and it’s in the hive, it will exit the hive and fly into the abyss, for the good of the hive,” he said. “They do this because they are hardwired to understand that their immune system is collective. The health of the honeybee is based on the hive, not the individual bee body.”

As Willey walked around the streets of NYC, he felt more connected to everyone around him than ever before. Willey knew he needed to raise awareness for the bees the only way he knew how: by painting. This led to the start of The Good of the Hive. 

Willey’s original intention was to paint one mural. It took seven years before any mural actually manifested. When it did, it began in Labelle, Florida with a mom-and-pop honey company. Willey engulfed himself in the town’s culture and stayed with the locals in the area for inspiration for his project. 

Willey was blown away by how this project was bringing people together. He said politics goes out the window as people — who would have never associated with each other in other settings — come together to talk about bees and honey.

Willey learned during a conversation at that first event — from a person who had a bee sitting on his shoulder like a parrot, of all things — that 30,000-50,000 bees make up a hive. Willey there and then decided to paint 50,000 bees for The Good of the Hive project. 

Willey now has over 42 projects, in several countries, and over 10,000 bees — including all pollinators and nocturnal pollinators such as moths.  

“It’s really been a whirlwind, amazing thing,” Willey said. 

In addition to his mural at the Smithsonian, Willey has pieces in the United Kingdom and at the American Embassy in Beijing. Willey has also spoken about his cause at the United Nations and is working on a film. 

“It’s about looking closer at the world around us than it is about bees at this point,” he said.

This will be Willey’s first project in Colorado, and he’s looking to draw inspiration for his project from the people he meets on his journey. 

So how did Matt Wiley end up in Rifle, Colorado? Well, it all began with and thanks to Lydia B. LaBelle de Rios — whose last name in relation to Willey’s first mural town (LaBelle, Florida) project did not go unnoticed.

LaBelle de Rios works for the U.S. Forest Service but her idea for this project has nothing to do with her work. She refers to her role in this as an excited community member and has always liked bees.

She and her sons have been going to the Rifle Branch Library for as long as they can remember. 

“I’ve always loved the library, coming to the library and I’m constantly here (at the library),” LaBelle de Rios said. 

She reached out to Willey via email and told him how much she enjoys her community, the forest, being part of the greater good, life and politics. 

“I don’t think of bees in just a pollinator way,” she said. “They really come together for the good of the group.”

Willey’s message really resonated with LaBelle de Rios because of this. 

When Willey responded, she was ecstatic.

“Here’s this international artist out of Manhattan and he responded to me!” LaBelle de Rios exclaimed. 

She knows that most stuff like this tends to head more toward Aspen and was thrilled she had a chance to bring this to Rifle. 

Once Willey said yes, LaBelle de Rios had to find a spot for Matt to paint. 

“I put the cart before the horse with this,” she joked. 

That’s when she met Alex Garcia-Bernal, who is the education and events manager with Garfield County Libraries, along with Amy Tonozzi, who is the Rifle library branch manager — whom LaBelle de Rios has known for years. 

“One event will be a story time for kids, another building bee homes and stuff like that,” Garcia-Bernal said. 

The patio will be revamped for the mural to include an awning area that, once complete, will be used as an education area for pollinator resiliency programs. 

LaBelle de Rios was the first to raise donations for this project, with Alpine Bank making an initial contribution of $3,000. After that, the Rifle Branch Library agreed to cover the rest of the cost.

James Larson, Garfield County library communications and marketing director, said $25,000 will be allocated from the library district’s special events budget to support the project.

LaBelle de Rios and her family will be hosting Willey for the month he is in town painting the mural. He will be available to talk with all of those who are interested during his time at the Rifle Branch Library. 

Updates on the project will be provided by the Glenwood Springs Post Independent and Rifle Citizen Telegram.