Trees that remain in place decades or even centuries after noteworthy events are referred to as witness trees. Many were young when the events took place and have grown to be large, silent sentinels of history. in the early 1800s, surveyors in Illinois planted “bearing trees” as landmarks to grid the ground. after centuries of development, many are still around today and are documented in the witness tree project. This project is a collaboration between the Morton Arboretum, the Field Museum, University of Notre Dame and the Paleon Project, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
The 2021 biennial has established new witness trees that record this year’s events—events that have shaped this epoch: a time of pandemic, racial reckoning, police brutality and reform, and climate crisis.
The new witness trees installation is inspired by the state’s orthogonal grid. tree grids are scaled to the site; at the corner of east 53rd and south prairie avenue, a grid is painted on the lawn at ten-foot intervals.
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