The plight of bees has become a mainstream issue in the past decade or so, but what about the bats? Since 2007, millions of North American bats have been killed each winter by White Nose, a fungus that infects their muzzle, tail, ears and wings as they hibernate. Bats with White Nose syndrome wake up prematurely, subsequently burning through their fat stores before they can survive the cold weather. 

In 2017, University of Minnesota designer-in-residence Kelly Munson led the #DesignBatsUMN initiative, asserting that bats have a branding problem in addition to a scientific one. Contributing to this call to re-brand, the illustrations of (Re)design Bats use the dark, foreboding imagery typically associated with bats, including mysterious caves and eerie moonlit skies, in an ornately rendered pattern to depict the mammalian pollinators as beautiful, exploratory creatures of the night.

The repeat pattern was screen printed onto hand dyed fabric, reproduced digitally using a fabric printer and screen printed as small posters. Just as artists and designers have contributed to the movement to save the bees through giving the insect pollinators a new public image, #DesignBatsUMN sought to dispel negative myths surrounding bats, educate people on the indispensable ecosystem services they provide and work towards a better relationship between our species.

Exhibitions

2017
DesignBats, Paul Whitney Larson Art Gallery, University of Minnesota (St. Paul, MN), curated by designer-in-residence Kelly Munson