Colin Vale, a professional chainsaw sculptor based in Olney, will offer live carving demonstrations on March 2 and 3 as part of the Kennedy Center’s REACH to FOREST series.
About REACH to FOREST: “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces REACH to FOREST, the first installment of its biannual series REACH to NATURE, taking place February 20 through March 3, that explores the connections between art, science, and the environment. This visionary initiative is part of the Kennedy Center’s previously announced 10 years of programming to raise public awareness of climate solutions through the lens of artistic engagement, coinciding with the United Nations’ environmental goals for 2030.
“Following the Kennedy Center’s successful spring 2023 launch of the RiverRun festival, a celebration of the world’s rivers, it was a natural progression to highlight the magnificence of our Earth’s forests,” says Vice President of Dance and International Programming and REACH to FOREST curator, Alicia Adams. “We are living in a time when every seemingly insignificant choice we make as human beings may ultimately prove critical to our environment, our planet, and to our very survival. In the coming years, all of us–but especially this new, young generation leading the way–will be called upon to confront the environmental challenges we face with imagination, creativity, and knowledge. We at the Kennedy Center hope that by rekindling the relationship between artist and scientist, we can spark creative solutions for our future.”
REACH to FOREST will host events focusing on forest stewards and their work preserving forest wildlife and habitats, as well as educating the public on the beauty and value of our natural world. Over a twoweek period, REACH to FOREST’s dynamic programming will feature events revolving around the central themes of the initiative: appreciating the invaluable inspiration and benefits the forest provides and learning how to manage the co-existence between humans and wildlife. Curated by Alicia Adams and Gilda Almeida of the Kennedy Center’s International Programming division, REACH to FOREST will present a diverse range of activities, events, and experiences including culinary journeys through the Amazon with Brazilian chef Felipe Schaedler; the Center’s first ever Environmental Book Fair; the allegorical puppet pageant, Acupunk, by Quebec’s Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur; an indoor immersive cinema dome; and a “Tree Hunter Party.” A series of discussions and roundtable talks will allow direct engagement with internationally renowned artists, writers, filmmakers, conservationists, scientists, champions of environmental justice, and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors.
REACH to FOREST offers a world of forest-inspired exhibits and installations featuring works by international artists as well as culturally significant artwork from indigenous forest communities.
Coleção BEĨ’s exhibition of carved zoomorphic benches from the Brazilian Amazon region–making its U.S. premiere–highlights the symbiotic and spiritual relationship of Indigenous people with the forest, their home. This unique exhibition includes photographs, videos, and live demonstrations by Karaputa Mehinako, an artisan from the remote Amazon region of Xingu. Additional installations include work by Byeongdoo Moon (U.S./Korea) and three newly commissioned works by Roberto Fabelo (Cuba), Celia Ledón (Cuba), and Raiz Campos (Brazil), and an exclusive exhibit celebrating the life and work of Jane Goodall, in collaboration with the Jane Gooddall Institute.
In partnership with the U.S. Botanic Garden, the Kennedy Center will host Improvs for Trees, pairing musicians from across the globe with endangered trees native to six different continents. Musicians will improvise and record an original musical tribute to the trees to raise awareness. In connection with the initiative, Casey Trees will plant native trees in low canopy areas around Washington, D.C., contributing to the health and well-being of our communities here at home. Restoring the world’s forests is the priority of the United Nation’s goal of increasing global forest area by 3% by 2030. According to the UN’s Global Forest Report in 2021, among the impacted are 1.6 billion individuals, who rely on forest recourses to live. Encompassing over 30% of the Earth’s land, forests shelter over 80% of terrestrial biodiversity while also performing as carbon reservoirs, storing more carbon than the entire atmosphere. The more diligently people tend to forests, the more effectively they safeguard our planet’s population.”