Arts in the Arboretum (April 27th, 2010)
Organizers: The Environmental Institute, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning,
Dept. of Natural Resources Conservation, Dept. of Art, and Asian Arts and Culture Program-Fine Arts Center
Arboretum Director: Jack Ahern, Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning
Event Video
UMass Treewalk 2010 from Stephanie McPherson on Vimeo.
Large Map of Arboretum Walking Tours
We Live in an Arboretum
At this time of heightened awareness of our relationship with the earth, its resources and principles of sustainability, it is appropriate to stop and take note of Arbor Day at UMASS. You may not know it, but for over 50 years the core of our campus has been designated as the Frank A. Waugh campus Arboretum – our own Emerald Necklace of trees. The locations and placement of trees on campus is not a happy accident – our arboretum has supported teaching and research and enriches our lives by reminding us of the natural habits of trees; their seasonal interest; their size and shape; their beauty; and the way they both sit in and shape outdoor spaces. The Arts in the Arboretum tour will bring your attention to three groupings of trees that are important components of the Waugh Arboretum. We hope you have seen them before, and we hope that after highlighting them, you will see them in a new light. That you will in fact watch these trees and others, and see them many times in their many cloaks over the seasons. We invite you to join with us on a walk through campus as we highlight a few of the ways trees of our arboretum shape our experiences at UMASS.
Tupelo Grove
This small mature grove of Black Tupelos (Nyssa sylvatica) is found on the western side of the campus pond. A native tree that prefers wetlands and waterside conditions, the Tupelo has a distinct form, usually with a singular straight trunk and stiff, horizontal branches. We’ll be tasting honey made from the pollen of tupelos, enjoying music provided by students from Natural Resources Conservation, a wetland ecology art installation, and gathering for a procession to the next two sites. As we move through these three tree groups, we invite you to add thoughts, reflections, or wishes into the trees using the papers provided. Passersby can begin to enjoy the experience of thoughts and wishes fluttering with the new leaves. Sculptural installations from fine arts students in the wood sculpture course will appear at various sites along our path. Adjacent to the Tupelo Grove, across the pond and in the Beech Grove young artists will create three dimensional works exploring motion, wood and space.
Katsura Tree Arc
Between the Campus Center and Hasbrouck Hall, there is an arc of 13 Katsura trees (Cercidiphyllum japonicum). This particular grove was planted about 15 years ago, and they have begun to mature nicely. Every autumn, the leaves of the Katsura scent the fall air with a sweet cotton candy smell. The arc arrangement of these Katsura provide a setting for a contemporary Butoh dance by five college dancers, inspired by and responding to the trees themselves.
Durfee Garden Beech Grove
Next to the Durfee conservatory is a grove of massive European Beech Trees (Fagus sylvatica). These trees are about 100 years old. Their massive grey trunks and strong branching in the enclosed setting of Durfee Gardens inspire us to contemplate the meanings and values of trees. Swinging from the Beech branches are UMASS Arboriculture and Urban Forestry students, led by Professor Brian Kane, as they demonstrate proper tree climbing technique through the broad, spreading Beech canopies. As you pass through the grove, the sounds of trees rustling in the wind grows and ebbs. A sound installation by students in Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning explores the idea of trees, and their absence – how different the UMASS campus would be without the sound of leaves moving in the wind. Be sure to look in the mirrors placed around the site, and think about the changes in perspective – the way things look when you’re looking back at the ground from a tree.
Large Map of Arboretum Walking Tours