Spirit Trees
Date and Time
- Sun, Apr 19, 2026 - Sun, Nov 15, 2026
Location
Rochester Art Center
30 Civic Center Dr SE
Event Categories
Visual Arts | Family Friendly
Details
ON VIEW April 29 - November 15, 2026
CO-CURATORS: Valerie DeCora Guimaraes, Zoe Cinel
FEATURED ARTISTS: Chanelle Gallagher, Lela Pierce, Stephanie Lindquist
"Spirit Trees" is a group exhibition that celebrates the many ways trees support life on this planet and their longstanding witness to human history. Trees are sacred to Indigenous communities and also are fundamental to connecting all humans with nature. They are a connector with the land and they bring communities together. The exhibition features three contemporary artists with diverse backgrounds whose work uses primarily natural materials and directly addresses our connection to nature. Their work fosters deep reflections around the role of nature and art in sustaining life.
In addition to the multimedia artworks, the exhibition includes a participatory activity and photographs of local trees taken by Guimaraes and community members since 2019 in an attempt to preserve trees that might soon be cut down in the pursuit of progress and development. As Guimaraes states:
“Rochester should realize the history that the trees have witnessed. The trees I photographed range in age from 126 to 251 years. They saw the Dakota people while they lived in this area, they saw the founding of Rochester and Mayo. We need more reverence for them.”
Guimaraes’ powerful acknowledgment is grounded in the principles of Spiritual Ecology, a field that looks at environmentalism through a deeper, sacred understanding of nature as an animate, living being.
In 2019, Guimaraes interviewed the Lakȟóta Medicine Man Basil Braveheart, author of the book "Awaken the Sacred." In this book, Braveheart connects traditional Lakȟóta spiritual insights with quantum physics, offering a new perspective on healing, spirituality and reciprocity. Guimaraes visited Braveheart at Lake Sylvan in South Dakota to learn about healing and reconciliation while hiking to the summit of Black Elk Peak together. In the gallery, visitors are invited to listen to the audio recordings of their conversation and learn about the sacredness of trees, the healing they provide, the witness they bear to human life, and their significance in guiding and sustaining human life.
Rochester Art Center is open Wednesday - Sunday, 11am - 4pm (except holidays)Free for Members, 21 & Under$5 Seniors & Military$8 Adults
