There's More at Stake than Honey Bread!

Students' Exhibition: Moving to Action - Helping Insects and Ourselves

A project developed by the Wieland Gymnasium at the Museum Biberach as part of the education partnership Schule-Museum (School-Museum), with works by students from the field of visual arts, class 8CD.

An exhibition intervention at the natural history department explored the topics species extinction and climate crisis. The wheel has come full circle: The project »There’s More at Stake Than Honey Bread« has returned to its place of origin, the museum. The environmental project started in November 2021. The students of class 8CD and their teacher, Salla Winkler, had come to see the special exhibition »Bees & Co«. They delved into the biodiverse world of insects. They acquired knowledge and closely examined and drew the exhibited insects. The decline of species gave the students pause. An intensive engagement with this issue was triggered and continued in their lessons.

Over the course of the following months, the students used the themes species and climate protection to explore artistic techniques and forms of expression such as intaglio printing, the illusionistic representation of bodies and space, performance, and sculpture, specifically social sculpture.

The class also gained further insights into the topic, for instance, during a visit from the environmental organization NABU Biberach. Their growing knowledge about the crises at hand led the students to ask: What can we do for insects? And what does all this have to do with visual arts?

Drawings led to etchings. Larger-than-life paintings depicted food items which depend on pollination through insects. A performance was carried out on the Biberach market square. Flyers and stickers accompanied art actions. Seed bombs were produced and distributed. But for the class all that was far from enough: they wanted to use whatever influence they had to make a difference. The students decided to change their own behavior. Hence, they proposed three-week commitments based on the theory that a new habit takes root after 21 days. This resulted in »Politischer Fruchtsalat« (Political Fruit Salad), another performance they presented at the museum on July 7.