It is about trees, the earth, the people, and paper—the stories and their connections.
You too can join the Treewhispers forest sharing your story and your art.
The forest continues to grow at the current exhibtion, Marilyn Sward:Speaking in Paper.
Treewhispers is an ongoing international collaboration involving handmade paper, art and stories honoring trees as a symbol and resource. It invites opportunities for papermaking and papermaking demonstrations, performance, storytelling, and site-specific installations—as well as this website providing an alternate forum for story sharing and connecting to others globally.
More about the project
Treewhispers was initated in the year 2000 by artists Pamela Paulsrud and the late Marilyn Sward.
The project has been presented in a multitude of venues while gathering round, handmade papers from participants around the world. On the papers, contributors have remembered a tree or the spirit of a tree.
Some contributions are simply a magnificent example of beautiful handmade paper and some include text and/or imagery. Some suggest tree rings, depict leaves or illustrate a personally significant tree; others are imprinted with a poem or a meaningful story relating to trees.
and the trees…
The handmade paper is bound together to create large tree assemblages and ultimately a forest of hanging paper rounds for the growing, ever-changing installation. The art of hundreds of participants has been exhibited at colleges, museums, libraries and art centers. It includes the work of professional artists displayed alongside elementary school class projects.
and your contribution…
You too can join the Treewhispers forest sharing your story and your art.
How have trees nurtured, calmed, influenced, affected, protected you?
This page has the following sub pages.
YAYYY!!!! Congratulations, Pam, on this beautiful new site for Treeswhispers! I’ll drop by again soon to share a tree story of my own.
Congratulations, Pam. It’s exciting to see the new site. It will be interesting to see the evolution of things in this format. I have a photo or two and perhaps a story I’ll send along sometime. Thanks for pursuing this collaborative effort. — John
Paula!
What a beautiful website! Congratulations.
I have started making bowls out of paper and clay mixed together.
Thanks heaven for trees!
namaste,
johna van dyke
How very, very cool! :)
Hi Kate, Thanks for the post….still figuring this cyberspace stuff out! It would great to see Treewhispers there—I need to check with another gallery as there may be conflicting times…would love to seize such a wonderful opportunity.
Warmly,
Pam
My friend Kate R. sent me to find you because she knows me so well! How lovely it must be to stand in your forest.
Dearest Pam:
Having worked as a member of the Tree City USA in Mapleton, Ia. for 22 years I’ve helped plant over 2500 trees — I find it amazing that you too express the love and meaning and importance of trees. It is said that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” As your father I am so proud of your many talents that you have conveyed to the world to enjoy. You have touched the lives of so many people with your tree whispers in all the many galleries in which this exhibit has been displayed. Keep up the good works. With Love. Dad.
.
Here is Pamela making the lastest batches of handmade paper for people to put their personal stories on…see more information about the upcoming show on June 9th, featuring a retrospective of the late Marilyn Swards work.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2066315&id=1354000331&l=f8cca72994
there are some days when I go visit the treewhisper web site just so I can read all the love notes…such a gift to the world…and how fab that your dad helped you to learn to share this present.
quite a rich legacy.
Donna, Thank you for your kind comments and yes, I’ve been richly blessed in the aspect of family, mentors!!
I know too that this project, like most that I’m involved with, is a collaborative effort—and am thankful for that connection!
This is a beautiful site. Thanks for being.