THE “ROOT” OF CULTURE

  • by ajc7218
Collection of items from the One Tree book, including the opened book, photo of tree, and wooden tree sculpture

One Tree is an artist book by author Gretchen C. Daily and photographer Charles J. Katz Jr. The collection describes the significance of “one tree” – the Ceiba pentandra – to Costa Rican beliefs and economic wellbeing. This book works like a botanical lesson containing a plethora of depictions and information pertaining to the Ceiba pentandra which differentiates it from other similar books. A semicircular slipcase holds a carved tree which once pulled out, lifts upright by a string. At the base of the tree is a cutout storage area containing 9 color photographs of the tree in different places within the village Sabalito in Costa Rica, and two booklets of information on the tree, Sabalito’s community, and artist notes. The artist book informs readers of the beneficial relationship that communities can cultivate with nature, as done in Sabalito, and presents this information in a way that is interactive for readers. Playing with the book form allowed the artists to use one tree to create a forest of knowledge.

by Abigail Cozza,  Economics, Class of 2025

Gretchen C. Daily, and Charles Katz Jr.
One Tree
Seattle: Marquand Editions, 2017

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