The Meandering Path of the Mother Trees

Mural by Chris Larson, Photo by Sarah Faith Strong

When I say that the upcoming Mother Trees exhibit is a Gray Matter Series collab four years in the making, there is no exaggeration. In 2018, I had the idea to create a collective painting inspired by the idea of the mother trees, based on the work of researcher and professor of forest ecology, Suzanne Simard.

The interesting thing was that despite knowing I wanted to work with a group on this, I had a hard time bringing anything together at first. I had many engaging conversations with different people, but I know enough about collaborative energy in the Gray Matter Series to never force anything and to truly let the energy of the ideas and connection build their own momentum.

Summer of 2019, we started with a backyard brunch with a small group of people I really enjoyed, with the intention to meet each season for a year to see what might come of this. The idea was to note the passing of time and the impact of the seasons and engage in thoughtful conversations that could potentially lead to a larger project.

looking back, i am astounded at the parallels between the first meal of the mother trees adventure, and the final one we recently experienced.

That autumn, we met up at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden for a nature hike and to investigate and share the concepts of the Mother Trees. What a delight to have a growing group. Our thoughts ranged from creating installation art to working with dancers to create an experience that would mimic the connections made underground through the mycorrhizal networks between the trees.

photo from an exercise in the art and beauty of trees, led by Chris Larson and Matthew Ramirez

It was lovely, but I found that I was only able to work on the project while I was in Minneapolis. If I was back in Fargo, the energy was missing. This was different from all of the other Gray Matter collabs in that they had all come together while maintaining my presence in both cities. I started to wonder if the energy of the soil and being grounded in a place had anything to do with it. Who knows? When I received an offer for a design job in Minneapolis December of 2019, I decided to go for it and see how being back in Minneapolis more regularly might do for the project.

—-We all have our own collective understanding of 2020, so I don’t need to tell you what put an end to the Mother Trees project for a couple of years.—-

Well, summer of 2022 I was celebrating a year at the Arthouse and feeling more grounded than i had in years. Projects blooming, ideas flowing, and a gallery space that I am excited to share with you in renovation mode. Many conversations were happening about what to do with the space. My dear friend Chris Larson, who had been in the project from its early stages had an idea for a mural he wanted to test out in the space before I painted the walls. Little did he know that his mural would bring the Mother Trees back with a mighty roar.

I had been chatting with chef Candace Stock about how fun it would be to do a pop up dinner in the gallery for a while, and this just really seemed like a fun idea. I don’t recall the exact conversation that tied us back to Mother Trees, but it really just fell into place, at long last. It made absolute sense to have Sarah Faith Strong photograph it, as I love her style of capturing intimate party settings in a way that makes you feel like you are there yourself. We decided to invite a few likeminded folks to join as dinner guests and collaborators to create work inspired by the dinner that was inspired by the mural. (Nancy X. Valentine, Julie Larson, and Kelsy Osterman)

I am excited to say that the collective painting has finally made its way into the world! The day after the dinner party, I painted it on top of the table we had shared such a beautiful meal on in an effort to capture the incredible energy of the evening.

photo by Sarah Faith Strong

Really looking forward to sharing the results of this project with you October 1st and 2nd. Even if you are not able to attend, we will be sharing online and hope to give you a flavor of what we have been up to.

xoxoMs.AnnaLee