PALO ALTO, CA.- The public is having the opportunity to examine the power, purpose, and beauty of trees during the Palo Alto Art Center’s Rooted: Trees in Contemporary Art exhibition from January 25-April 5, 2020.

The free exhibition explores the work of more than 20 contemporary artists from around the world inspired by the majesty, beauty, and importance of the trees around us.

“Perhaps more than any other elements of the landscape, trees represent nature,” says Palo Alto Art Center Director Karen Kienzle. ”Their greenery breaks up the hardscape of our suburban or urban environments, reminding us of the natural world. Trees remain the largest living organisms on earth. They also serve as relics of a prehistoric world, with some trees in California dating to more than 2,500 years ago. For these reasons and more, trees have continued to inspire artists, generating artwork that encourages us to consider the power of trees in our lives and communities.”

Palo Alto’s history is rooted in deep connections to trees. The City is named for a 110-foot tree—El Palo Alto— that is an 1,100-year-old Coastal Redwood. In the 1890s, early tree advocates in our community planted the City’s initial tree canopy. At that time, members of the Palo Alto Women’s Club transported milk cans filled with water in horsedrawn buggies to irrigate these early trees. Today, the City of Palo Alto grows and maintains approximately 36,000 city-owned urban trees. These trees remain a vital part of the Palo Alto landscape.

Artists participating in the exhibition include: Galen Brown, Matthew Brown, James Chronister, Adam Donnelly and David Janesko, Katie DeGroot, Charles Gaines, Stephen Galloway, Maria Elena Gonzalez, Scott Greene, Azucena Hernandez, Andy Diaz Hope and Laurel Roth Hope, Tamara Kostianovsky, David Maxim, Klea McKenna, Ann McMillan, Jason Middlebrook, Meridel Rubenstein, and Jamie Vasta.