The Honeycomb Project and Belonging by Micaela Rubalcava

  

Participants - Dominic Fazzio, Jen Friend, Skyler Cruz, Omar Vasquez, Ryan Vortisch, Kerra Betts, Liz Callejas, Juliana Castro, Mackenzie Caudill, Sara Conard, Cameron Duren, Cindy Guerrero, Tyler Heffley, Chantale Hernandez, Emely Leyva, Trev Middaugh, Jessenia Navarrate, Abigail Phillips, Brook Scurry, Kathrine Shepard.

The Honeycomb Project - Curated by Candace Garlock, The Honeycomb Project engages intrinsic human needs, connecting to the 2024-25 Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) theme of “Pride and Belonging.” The six panels facilitated by Micaela Rubalcava, TMCC Education Professor, brought together diverse groups, including the Faculty for Radical Empowerment and Enlightenment (FREE - Truckee Meadows Community College - TMCC), Sustainability Champions, and students in EDU 201: Introduction to Elementary Education. Through a creative process of stamping and collaging with recycled materials, participants were invited to reflect on how activating the human need for belonging through artistic expression motivates academic engagement.

Big Picture Question - We asked: “How does this honeycomb art engage your human need for belonging?” Participants used a variety of materials - finger paint, stencils, pens, leaves, yarn, sequins, crayons, and magazines - to create six hexagons on used paper bags. This approach promoted sustainability through recycling, while developing community and identity as participants collaborated on a shared artistic vision. 

Belonging - As we made art, we contemplated belonging. This reflection allowed individuals to connect personally and culturally to visual and tactile art-making. The goal was for peers, faculty, and staff to create in a supportive environment to experience moments of belonging for cultural congruence in an educational community.

Calavera - We used a calavera stencil in the hexagons. This calavera symbol was previously chosen by students in an activity about Dia de Los Muertos and outdoor education, using the Environmental Liberation Education approach to standards-based education (Environmental Liberation Education | Diversity, Mindfulness, and …). Dia de Los Muertos traditions span the world, originating in Indigenous communities to honor loved ones who have passed away. These traditions involve artwork with colors and symbols about sun, earth, sky, and water for cultural protection, communicated through ofrendas in altars. Dia de Los Muertos activates intergenerational continuity through memory and respect, connecting people to nature, food, and stories in ways that resonate at TMCC, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. By incorporating cultures into The Honeycomb Project, participants strengthened identities and belonging in diversity.

Human Motivation - EDU 201 students participated in The Honeycomb Project after discussing Abraham Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation. This theory describes how a hierarchy of human needs motivate self-actualization. The needs are physiological, safety, belonging, self-esteem, and the curiosity and aesthetics of self-actualization. Within this framework, the need for love and belonging develops compassion, affection, and communities of care. As students collaged, they co-created belonging through art.

Cultural Connection - In our hexagons, The Honeycomb Project activated intersectional empowerment - the nexus of art, community, and human needs. The process honored individual and cultural identities through creative interaction. Participants in these six hexagons experienced and reflected on belonging within TMCC as part of global diversity.