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Project Start Date <br />(no earlier than July <br />1, 2020) <br />July 1, 2020 <br />Project End Date (no <br />later than June 30, <br />2021) <br />June 30, 2021 <br />Project/Program <br />Summary <br />“You and the tree in your backyard come from a common <br />ancestor”… from Richard Powers’ The Ov erstory, spoken by <br />Maidenhair from her perch in the canopy of the Mimas, hundreds of <br />feet abov e ground and half a million days and nights old. <br />During the spring and summer of the pandemic, I hav e been led into <br />deep exploration of the natural world, of local trees and the figure <br />embraced by that env ironment. I am applying for support to produce <br />an exhibition portraying the dyadic relationship of trees and those <br />drawn to them. The exhibition will showcase v irtually and on the walls <br />of the NC Botanical Garden gallery, during the spring and summer of <br />2021. Botanical Gardens Communications and Exhibits Coordinator, <br />Emily Oglesby, with colleagues from the education staff will host a <br />reception with music by Orange County instrumental duo, Red <br />Nucleus, performing original music with projections of the portraits. <br />In addition, I will be working with sev eral local woodcrafters to <br />complement the v arious species with sculptural renditions, also <br />displayed in the gallery. Educational programs and a tree tour led by <br />educators from the Botanical Garden staff will enhance participants’ <br />appreciation of and interconnection with the env ironment and our <br />role in its preserv ation. <br />Some of the trees photographed in the exhibition include the <br />Shagbark Hickory, known for its beautiful shaggy bark and fragrance <br />when used for heating. The shagbark is currently in decline in North <br />Carolina due to ov eruse, deforestation, and challenges with <br />replanting and re-populating. The shagbark was awarded the 2020 <br />Mayor’s Tree Award, celebrating Chapel Hill’s appreciation of the <br />urban forest and the community’s commitment to enhance and care <br />for it. <br />Another tree with significance to the town is a W illow Oak, the <br />location of many community meetings and gatherings, and a 15-year <br />old Japanese maple, rescued as a sapling from a cracked pav ement <br />on top of a local parking deck. <br />As an educator, artist, and photographer, I hav e a lifelong lov e of <br />portraiture as a means for constructing memories, rendering the <br />figure as art within the landscape, The results may be an allegorical <br />display or a remembrance in context, but always dynamic and <br />interactiv e in approach and design. I see trees as markers of the <br />passage of time, their branches and limbs embracing, holding the <br />memory of all who hav e leaned against their trunks, sheltered <br />beneath their branches, or engaged in rev erie amid the shadows of <br />their dancing leav es. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 1AE6DFB9-6CAD-4F01-8A7D-8182FE87BEB6