Knoch Knolls Park Educational Artwork Wins International Award
See the Forest (For the Trees), an interactive art installation that was on view at Naperville Park District's Knoch Knolls Park this summer, has won an international MarCom Award, honoring excellence in marketing and communications. The award is administered by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals.
The artwork, created by environmental artist Jenny Kendler, was the result of a partnership between the Park District, the Bolingbrook office of Bartlett Tree Experts, and the Ex.Change project of Terracom, a Chicago-based marketing communications firm.
Nature Art Week
See the Forest was the centerpiece of the Knoch Knolls Nature Center's Nature Art Week, which offered a variety of tree-related educational programs, some of which were presented by certified arborists from Bartlett Tree Experts. The artwork itself was envisioned to be a springboard for tree-care education and to cultivate an appreciation for trees.
"More than 600 visitors participated in Nature Art Week," reported Nature Center Manager Angelique Harshman. "The outdoor artwork also engaged people in the weeks following the event as they walked or biked through Knoch Knolls Park."
"Education is one of our company's core values," said Tom Tyler, local manager of the Bolingbrook office of Bartlett Tree Experts. "We commissioned the artwork to carry out that core value in a new way. A team approach made it possible. We were happy to be able to have the piece showcased in the Park District's beautiful Knoch Knolls Park. And we appreciated having Terracom on the team, as the engine behind the project."
The Artwork
See the Forest entailed seven native tree saplings planted in a line and framed on both ends by two upended tree root systems from trees that had naturally toppled. The upended roots, painted black, provided an up-close look at a typically out-of-sight part of trees that is important to both tree and ecological health.
The artist engaged visitors with the artwork by encoding a hidden word that was represented by the trees. Decoding the word involved identifying the species of each tree. An accompanying sign provided a key for solving the puzzle and offered interpretive information on the importance of trees and tree roots.
Visitor Reactions
Visitors were intrigued by the piece, responding positively with comments that included, "I love it," "... I find it to be very powerful," "It's neat to see the undersides of trees, what's underground," and "… As you learn about the trees here, you start to care more about other trees, like the ones in your own backyard."
A variety of print, broadcast and online publicity attracted visitors from as far as Chicago's North Shore to see the artwork.