Joseph Beuys Tree Partnership

Joseph Beuys Tree Partnership.

The true capital , of the world is the human ability , for creativity, , freedom and , self-determination , in all their working places. , , Joseph Beuys

, Joseph Beuys Tree Partnership was inspired by the German visual artist Joseph Beuys' 7000 Oaks tree planting project, a visionary program that transformed the city of Kassel, Germany, with the planting of 7000 trees between 1982-1987. A basalt stone was placed next to each tree. Joseph Beuys called his project a social sculpture: the process of collaboration between artists and citizens to create environmental art beneficial to the urban community., In the spring of 2001, 30 oak trees and 30 granite stones were planted at UMBC. The Joseph Beuys Sculpture Park is located on Hilltop Circle, between Administration Drive and Commons Drive. Like Beuys' original project, the granite stones have been placed next to each tree as a symbolic relationship marking the passage of time. As the trees grow, the stones diminish and this landscape will change and transform into a grove of large oaks. Beuys saw the growing tree and weathered stone as metaphors for human activities, reminding all who pass this site to let their ideas take root, and to put their stones in motion., This project is organized by the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, UMBC in partnership with the Department of Recreation and Parks, and 21 organizations within the city of Baltimore. 212 trees and stones were planted in Carroll Park, Patterson Park, and Wyman Park Dell. Over 500 city volunteers and children assisted in the planting of trees., This project is organized by the Center for Art, Design, Visual Culture, UMBC in partnership with the Department of Recreation and Parks and over 20 organizations within the city of Baltimore. Funding for the Joseph Beuys Tree Partnership comes from the TKF Foundation, Annapolis, MD.