Featured Projects

S(tree)twork is a multi-year, public art project rooted in Philadelphia whose aim is to animate how we live among trees; how we perceive them; and how we imagine our future cohabitation.  

S(tree)twork is curated by Marina McDougall on behalf of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, in partnership with the international art and design collective Futurefarmers. The project incorporates a series of public programs and workshops, public service announcements, and a built intervention at Awbury Arboretum -- together, this work will create a new dialogue around the vital role of trees in urban communities. 

Key Project Elements

S(tree)twork combines various elements to create a full sensory experience:

• The project will include hands-on workshops that motivate public participation in tree planting across Philadelphia – particularly in low tree canopy neighborhoods.
   
• A community co-design workshop will inform the function and form of the built intervention. The built structure nestled in nature will serve as a gathering space to support reforestation efforts in Philadelphia.
   
• A culminating publication will document the project’s key phases and capture the contributions of the project’s many collaborators, which includes the curator and art/design collective, as well as microbial ecologist Ignacio Chapela, and anthropologist Michael Taussig.

Project Partnerships

S(tree)twork complements the city of Philadelphia’s ten-year strategic plan to forest the city; “to set forth new ways of working with residents to mitigate climate change and to prioritize equity in delivery, ensuring that the most vulnerable communities benefit from a healthy tree canopy.”

In addition to Awbury Arboretum, additional community sites and partnering organizations include East Park Revitalization Alliance, Nicetown-Tioga Community Development Center, and UC Green.