The University of Kentucky’s Bolivar Art Gallery bustled with visitors as “Resiliently Rooted: From Roots to Canopy” filled the UK College of Fine Arts School of Art and Visual Studies with photographs, paintings, mixed‑media pieces and sculpture that explored a single question: “How do trees inspire and sustain us?” 

The five‑day showcase was organized by the Urban Forestry Initiative (UFI), housed within the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. The event spanned April 14–18, with a public open house April 17, and featured work from students and community members across the Bluegrass. Submissions ranged from literal depictions of trunks and canopies to abstract reflections on ecological connection. 

“The Resiliently Rooted open house was a fantastic success,” said UFI coordinator Ignazio Graziosi. “Those who attended the showcase were able to admire more than 30 art pieces submitted by UK students, the city of Lexington and the Bluegrass area community members.”

The exhibition welcomed entries from any Kentucky resident. Graziosi said local middle and high school art clubs, retirees experimenting with sculpture and professional photographers all shared wall space with UK students, highlighting UFI’s mission to connect diverse neighbors through trees. The gallery recorded more than six hundred visits over the week. 

One student’s assignment 

The project began as the independent internship assignment of Graciela Martinez, a junior in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and an intern with UFI. Martinez invited the public to send digital images of their work through the UFI website, then arranged for the selected pieces to be displayed on campus. Artists were required to submit a short statement explaining how their work related to the theme. ​ 

“Trees have always been nature’s storytellers,” Martinez said. “Seeing classmates translate that idea into so many different mediums demonstrated how deeply urban trees shape our lives.” 

“Resiliently Rooted” capped Martinez’s semester-long internship. Each UFI intern proposes and executes a project intended to advance regional canopy goals; previous interns have mapped heat‑island hot spots and developed neighborhood pruning workshops. Martinez said she chose art because it bridged her academic focus on urban forestry with her minor in interdisciplinary arts. 

Coordinating the showcase required scheduling with the gallery, negotiating installation logistics for three‑dimensional pieces and drafting contest guidelines.  

Martinez said the experience sharpened her event‑planning abilities, strengthened communication with campus units and local nonprofit partners and confirmed her interest in a career as a sustainability coordinator. 

“Art lets people feel value before they count or measure it,” she said. “If one painting nudged someone to notice a sapling along their bus stop and wonder how they might protect it, the whole effort was worthwhile.” 

To learn more about the Urban Forestry Initiative, including projects like Resiliently Rooted, visit https://ufi.ca.uky.edu. 

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Writer: Jordan Strickler, jstrickler@uky.edu                

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