Walking Stick for William Bartram

A walking stick created for Challenge VIII: Bartram’s Boxes Remix (invitational)
Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia PA

Statement: William traveled across wild areas of the eastern United States with John Bartram from his very early years, taking note of the flora and fauna that were so important to his father. He developed his own relationship with nature, expressed artistically through botanic and ornithological drawings. I chose several of his illustrations to recreate for my walking stick: Purple Finch, Nuthatch, Franklinia, American Lotus, and Swamp Pink.

(the following description of this show was taken from the Center for Art in Wood's website:) Challenge VIII: Bartram’s Boxes Remix is a collaborative project between The Center and Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia (home of famed 18th-century explorer and botanist John Bartram). The title of this project, Bartram’s Boxes Remix, references the boxes containing seeds, plants, and curiosities that John Bartram began sending to his colleagues in England in 1735, making Bartram’s Garden an international hub of plant knowledge and sharing.

In the spirit of John Bartram’s desire to share his passion for trees and other plants, The Center put the call out to artists to propose and create works in wood and other materials, inspired by 13 types of wood felled at Bartram’s Garden during a huge wind and rain storm. Artists had the option to select from 13 types of woods found onsite. This exhibition celebrates John Bartram’s legacy of discovery and will provide a unique opportunity for artists to “remix” the history, materials and inspiration of one of America’s oldest gardens in their work.