Witness Tree Project

Since 2009, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and the National Park Service (NPS) have worked to develop a collaborative model for teaching and learning centered on witness trees, long-standing trees that were present for key moments in American history. The Witness Tree Project arranges for fallen witness trees to be shipped from NPS sites to RISD, where, in a joint history seminar and furniture studio, students interpret the history of a given tree's site and make relevant objects from the tree’s wood. In addition to classroom and studio work, the Project variously involves field trips, guest lectures, and exhibitions of students’ objects.

The Project has been funded by multiple grants from RISD's Kyobo Fund, the Windgate Foundation and, most recently, RISD’s Office of Academic Affairs. While the Project’s curriculum links the home departments of its originating faculty (Furniture Design and History), the range of participating students encourages multidisciplinary perspectives and learning across Architecture, Ceramics, Furniture, Industrial Design, Textiles, Glass, and Graphic Design, among others.

 
 

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“RISD students are so good at making objects that are both beautiful and steeped in layered meaning. This class enhances the ability of students to generate ideas and understand the important role history plays in making storied creations.” –Dale Broholm

“Witness trees have stood for generations, while around them battles have been waged, presidents have lived and died, and industries have peaked and declined. Each of these trees serves as a powerful marker from which students can expand the scope of their thinking outward, from specific events to more complex questions about time and place, memory and culture.” – Daniel Cavicchi

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Give to WTP

The Witness Tree Project is a special interdisciplinary curriculum, involving a field trips, sawyering, shipment, and drying of wood, and exhibition costs, all of which requires funding beyond the capacities of Rhode Island School of Design or the National Park Service. While we have identified new potential trees from National Park Service sites, the running of a future course depends on outside support, and we are currently seeking interested donors. Contributing to this Project would be a useful way to fulfill philanthropic, educational, and public service mandates, and we would work with you to appropriately acknowledge your gift.

 

Contact

We are happy to answer questions and/or describe the project in more detail to interested educators, craftspeople, and journalists.

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Daniel Cavicchi is Professor of History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences at Rhode Island School of Design. His scholarship includes numerous books and essays on American culture and history, as well as exhibits and curricula for museums and non-profit organizations. 

Email: dcavicch@risd.edu

Dale Broholm is a Senior Critic in the Department of Furniture Design at Rhode Island School of Design. His work as a furniture designer has been featured in numerous collections and publications, and he has spoken on furniture design at workshops and conferences around the world.

Email: dbroholm@risd.edu

Megan Callahan is a Critic in the Department of Furniture Design at Rhode Island School of Design. She was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30’ in 2015 and is founder of M.Callahan Studio. Her work, focused on the beauty and complexity of traditional construction, is part of private collections throughout the US and abroad.

Email: mcalla01@risd.edu