It’s been said that there’s nothing more hopeful than planting a tree.
So come plant a forest with us—be part of a Sunrise May Day forest-planting
parade with Unreliable Bestiary artists Deke Weaver and Jennifer Allen,
Landscape Architecture students and faculty members Brian Deal and David Hays,
and musician Jason Finkelman. Before we head into the Illinois Arboretum,
we’ll meet at the Japan House parking lot (F32) just before sunrise, at 5:30 am
on Friday, May 1 (rain date: Saturday, May 2).

From "The Golden Bough" to "Totoro," the seasonal rebirth of the land
has long been met with ceremony and possibility. Let’s make our own ceremony.
We’ll make masks out of the leaves, sticks, and vegetation found in the Arboretum,
and parade our way with bells and drums to a new Illinois Arboretum forest
plot where we will put in over 2800 plants and trees.

Dress for the weather and walking outside in the dewy early morning grass.
Things you could bring: a trowel, some gloves, a tight-fitting cap/hat or a couple
of rubber bands, and a cape or a blanket or a tarp. You could even bring your hopes,
fears, complaints, and glowing futures. The event is part of The Unreliable Bestiary’s FOREST
project and presented in conjunction with the Krannert Art Museum’s exhibition
Another Place: Storymaking the Entangled Prairie.

Krannert Art Museum acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.