Steven Munoz
Steven Munoz
Website: www.midwaybee.com
Instagram: @midwaybee
Bio: Originally from New Mexico, Steven attended American University in Washington, DC where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in printmaking. His work is in the permanent collections of: Western Railroad and Mining Museum in Helper, Utah; Arlington County Government, Virginia; the Montgomery County Public Art Trust, Maryland, and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank.
Since 2009, Steven has been the Director of the Lee Arts Center, a program of Arlington Cultural Affairs. Steven enjoys spending time as: a board member of City Blossoms; a certified DC Master Gardener; a dog owner, and a coffee drinker. He appreciates a good gin; and he has a passion for sneakers. He is also very fortunate to have a husband who is patient and ever forgiving.
Artist Statement: Since 2017 I have been working on a body of larger-format work focusing on pollinators, primarily bees. As a printmaker, certified in Master Gardening and Sustainable Urban Agriculture, I have been fascinated by and passionate about nature. Through these works, I seek to bring attention to the vital, yet perilous, plight of pollinators. At first glance, my work appears scenic and bucolic, but upon closer examination, themes of man against nature, life and death, and social commentary on environmental issues, are revealed to the observer.
In many ways bees are like the air we breathe: they are everywhere; they are essential and for the most part unseen. We know they exist, but few understand them, and to the detriment of our shared existence, fewer value them. To know the bee isn’t just understanding a fascinating and beautiful insect: it is to glimpse a profound web of relationships, great and small, that binds together the human and natural sides of our one world.
I believe in the integrity of art as a means for sharing thoughts and ideas. Art can engage, open, and change minds through images, senses, and perceptions. Through art, that which is small, misunderstood, or ignored, can be given a voice that has the potential to influence and inspire others to action.