May-Bee and the Bot (in the Uncanny Valley)
Artist
Pete Beeman
Portland, Oregon
Date Installed
2026
Medium
Stainless steel
Artist Website
Made Possible By
The Cemala Foundation
Description
This 28-foot-tall sculpture features a robot on bended knee, topped with an insect on its head – a stylistic hybrid of a mayfly and honey bee – representing the connection between technological innovation and environmental sustainability. The piece includes an interactive hand-crank element, which allows visitors to move the wings overhead, and reflects the Downtown Greenway’s role in bringing together seemingly different ideas: urban and natural, built and organic.
“When I approached this project, I was thinking about this idea, of two disparate elements meeting and working together,” said artist Pete Beeman. “It seemed to me that a goofy retro robot could be a great representative of technology, while a honey bee is a fantastic symbol of our wonderful natural world and the challenges it faces. I wanted to bring the two together, nature and technology, in the same way the Downtown Greenway brings the urban and residential parts of Greensboro together.”
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