Bay Ridge

Tree Collection

The Bay Ridge Tree Collection was a collaborative artwork by Kate Dodd at the 73rd St. public library in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. This site-specific installation consisted of two paper “trees” in the lobby that expanded up onto the windows of the two story facade. The bark and branches feature text describing every Bay Ridge street tree species, as recorded on the NYC Parks Dept. street tree map. A mini book collection, housed in the tree knotholes and accessible for browsing, documents individual Bay Ridge street trees; these were made by a variety of Bay Ridge residents who were invited to participate by choosing a Bay Ridge street tree to honor and collecting a few observations/artifacts for inclusion in a mini book dedicated to that particular tree. These books became part of the library’s permanent collection. In addition, haikus written by local poets to honor trees were displayed on library lighting.