In a place that often feels secluded, a sunny new structure on Mountaintop Campus is buzzing to life, inviting passersby to pause, reflect and share stories.
On Thursday, students and faculty gathered around the mobile installation, the Wandering Bee, to celebrate its grand opening on Building C’s lawn with food, games and conversation.
The installation, spearheaded by professor Christina Chi Zhang, was created through the Future Maker Grant: Mountaintop Activation, a university initiative aimed at making better use of the spacious 740 acre Mountaintop Campus.
Zhang said the Wandering Bee, or “memory pollinator,” is designed to bring life to gatherings and spaces by offering a visual art area where students and faculty can sit, write and create new memories.
“When I saw the Mountaintop Activation grant, I saw a totally crazy idea to get people to gather and come up here to find a sense of curiosity and visual excitement,” Zhang said. “I want people to have fun and have something to gather around and talk about.”
To bring her idea to fruition, she led a group of students in an initiative to build the structure over the course of five weeks.
Emilie Sodora, ‘27, a participant in the initiative, said students spent the spring semester in a one credit course bringing Zhang’s idea to life. They met each Friday for five weeks, dividing tasks that included metalworking, woodworking, data collection and marketing.
She said the group would adapt when needed to make the structure the best it could be.
“We actually painted the inside first, then realized it did not come out exactly as we wanted it to,” Sodora said. “That’s why we kept it on the inside so the outside is actually the finished product. I’m just very happy to see the project come to life.”
Zhang said learning to build something unconventional is both the biggest challenge and the most fulfilling achievement.
“A lot of students were learning to build for the first time,” Zhang said. “The students learned the long-term consequences of making one small mistake. There were a lot of mistakes made as part of the process, but the highlight of the project was seeing how proud the students are of their work, and how fun it was to put something together.”
Sodora, an architecture major, said three of her classes last spring were on Mountaintop Campus and that most people don’t visit the campus unless they have class up there.
She said she hopes the project will bring more people together and encourage community involvement, particularly at Mountaintop.
Sophie Brisset, ‘29, said she believes the Wandering Bee’s vibrant, welcoming presence will have a positive impact on campus.
“It’s really nice that they’re using the more unused spaces of Mountaintop,” Brisset said. “I have one class on Mountaintop, but a lot of my classes will be up here, especially the higher level classes. It would be fun to hang out here a little bit more, especially in between classes.”
Zhang said she hopes the project will give students new ways to think about gathering spaces on campus and new ways to host events.
After its first two weeks on Mountaintop Campus, the Wandering Bee will move to other locations on both the Mountaintop and Asa Packer campuses. The installation will stay in each location for about two weeks, featuring new interactive questions and QR codes that invite students to reflect on how Mountaintop Campus is used and what could be improved.
“It is so important to have public art accessible to students, and (to) make use of art on campus so they’re not just sculptures, but useful gathering spots,” Zhang said.
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