Tree Wonder

BEHOLD
A tree is a key to understanding our larger ecosystem.
Stop, Observe and Draw Manhattan’s Oldest Tree.

Year: 2022 – present

Location: Washington Square Park, NYC

Mission
Tree Wonder is an eco-art initiative to raise awareness of nature in the city. The focus is Manhattan’s oldest tree, the monumental English Elm in the northwest corner of Washington Square Park, which is more than 300 years old. Park visitors from the neighborhood, the city, and the world walk by this awe-inspiring tree but rarely stop to observe and wonder.

How does Tree Wonder work?
On Sundays in the spring and fall, we host public drawing sessions at the base of the English Elm. An artist leads each session. Free drawing materials and paper are provided at the circular array of tables and benches surrounding the elm. The sessions are advertised on the New York City Parks Department website, the Washington Square Eco Projects website, social media, at neighborhood educational and community centers, and in local newspapers. Passersby are encouraged to stop and observe as well as to join in and draw

The weekly sessions have been offered since March 2022 on Sundays from 11:00 – 12:30. On average more than 200 hundred people stop to observe the tree and more than 50 stop to draw.
An honorarium of $100 dollars is offered to each artist to host a session and share their skills and passion with the community.

Who is Tree Wonder?
The initiative is led by visual artist Kristin Jones and urban forester Georgia Silvera Seamans, director of Washington Square Park Eco Projects and founder of Local Nature Lab. The initiative is currently entirely fueled by volunteer efforts. Tree Wonder is part of a larger artistic and scientific project entitled BEHOLD: Trees, A Visual Exploration that is under the fiscal sponsorship of the Local Nature Lab.