In what may be the first event of its kind, honey bee research at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, University of California, Davis, will benefit from a 12-county bee art show.

Area artists 18 and over are invited to submit their "bee-centric, bee-themed or bee-inspired" work to be exhibited at a one-day benefit art show on Saturday, May 8 in the open air courtyard in front of the Sacramento Bee, 2100 Q St.

Part of the proceeds from the art sales will benefit honey bee research at the Laidlaw facility, said coordinator and artist Laurelin Gilmore of Sacramento.

Participants should reside within the 12-county area of Sacramento, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Solano, Yolo, Yuba, Nevada, Sutter, Placer, El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras.

The deadline to confirm participation is Friday, March 19, she said.

There is no entrance fee. Finished artwork must be dry and ready to hang at the time of submission, no later than April 30. "Artists may submit work in any medium," Gilmore said, "but all work submitted must be original (no reproductions). This is not a juried show, but work must fit the theme in order to be part of the event."

More information on the project, including the guidelines, requirements and artist agreement, is available from Gilmore. Each artist is asked to include a one-page biography that will be placed in a binder at the event.

The art show, the Sacramento Bee's “Second Saturday” event, will begin around 3 p.m. and is open to the public at no charge. Music, refreshments and an educational display, with participants to include UC Davis bee scientists and area beekeepers, are planned.