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The “Rooted in Creativity: A Champion Tree Artist Showcase” is set for April 24
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The National Champion Tree Program at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture will host a showcase aimed at connecting people to nature through art inspired by Tennessee’s largest and oldest Champion Trees. The “Rooted in Creativity: A Champion Tree Artist Showcase” will feature artwork by UT students on April 24 from 5–8 p.m. at the Museum of Infinite Outcomes in the Parkridge neighborhood of Knoxville.
The showcase will highlight conservation and sustainability through artistic storytelling. Students hope it encourages community involvement in recognizing and protecting historical trees for future generations. “The National Tree Champion Program, tree conservation and connection to nature are all near to my heart, so this project feels like welcoming people into that world and helping them see nature the same way I do,” Kyndal Hazen, an undergraduate art student, says. “It’s exciting working on pieces I’m passionate about and having a team of people working to make this dream real.”
Art, marketing and urban forestry students collaborated on the showcase as a project for an independent study course led by Jaq Payne, National Champion Tree Program director. Payne says students are gaining interdisciplinary skills and real-world experience. “It’s taking everything they’re learning in the classroom and bringing it into reality,” Payne says. “By combining the best of what each field offers, we end up with a much stronger project than if any of us had tackled this alone.”
Caroline Toole, an undergraduate marketing student, says the project allowed students to apply what they learned outside the classroom. “It’s given us the chance to build skills in communication, collaboration, and marketing that are difficult to fully develop through coursework alone,” she says. “It’s also been valuable to work alongside students and staff from different backgrounds. Bringing together perspectives from forestry, marketing and art has pushed us to think more creatively and approach the project in a well-rounded way.”
The National Champion Tree Program moved to the UT School of Natural Resources in 2023. The program aims to protect, preserve and keep record of the largest trees in the U.S. through public education and engagement. People can help bring Champion Trees and the art they inspire into more classrooms and communities by supporting the program.
The UT School of Natural Resources focuses on a mastery learning approach, emphasizing practical, hands-on experiences. The school’s faculty, staff and students advance the science and sustainable management of our natural resources through various programs of the UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA).
UTIA is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu
