The Jamestown Arts Center will present “A Celebration of Trees,” a multimedia group exhibition exploring humanity’s enduring relationship with trees, on view from June 26 through Aug. 29.
Curated by Laurie Dolphin, the exhibition features 21 artists from Southern New England and around the world working in painting, sculpture, photography, film and mixed media. The works approach the tree as symbol, subject, witness and collaborator, considering trees as markers of memory, vessels of spiritual and ecological intelligence and sentinels of environmental change.
“Both as an artist and as a curator, Laurie’s work centers our innate bond with nature and creates conversations about our relationship with the natural world,” said Karen Conway, exhibitions director.
Executive Director Christine Cocca said the show’s strength lies in its range of perspectives. “Each of the artists in this show has a unique and specific relationship and orientation to this topic,” she said. “This diversity of interpretation allows viewers to bring their own experiences with nature into a dynamic conversation within the exhibition space.” She added that the exhibition encourages audiences “to consider both their responsibility to nature and their place within it.”
Dolphin described the show as an invitation to renewed attention. “I hope that this exhibition encourages viewers to slow down, observe, and reconnect with the beauty and significance of the trees that surround them,” she said. “As living works of art and essential members of our shared ecosystem, trees remind us that all life is connected.”
Participating artists include Bryonie Arnold, Fabienne Berthaud, Michele Crockette, Adam de Boer, Bread & Puppet, Dolphin, Idoline Duke, Lama Gyurme, Joan Hall, Natasha Harrison, Andrew Hunter, Christine Matthäi, Anne-Katherine Meeùs, Beth Moon, Frank Relle, Susan Schrott, Stuart Shapiro, June Shatken, Kiki Smith, Robin Spears Jr. and Hans van de Bovenkamp.
The exhibition opens with the Summer Soirée, a ticketed fundraiser on Friday, June 26, from 6 to 10 p.m. A free artist reception will follow on Wednesday, July 15, from 6 to 10 p.m., featuring several exhibiting artists and a live oud performance by Fausto Palma.
Additional information is available at jamestownartcenter.org.
