Treetones Tour
To bring awareness and to honor the diversity of trees on Governors Island.
Treetones Tour, a site-specific installation on Governors Island, was conceived and executed during a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) Residency on the island. To bring awareness and to honor the diversity of trees on the Island, the installation presented hand-sewn fabric wraps tied around twelve different species of tree. With the aim of engaging visitors of all ages, identification cards with tree bark rubbings and descriptions of the “tone” of each tree were created and placed in pockets in the fabric wraps. Visitors followed a self-directed tour map and were encouraged to collect the bark rubbings from each stop on the tour. Tour maps were available on the ferry, in the National Park Service offices, and in the LMCC gallery. Highlighted species, chosen for their age, location, and variation of bark, included Pin Oak, Red Oak, London Plane, Ginkgo, Willow, American Elm, Siberian Elm, Tuliptree, English Elm, Norway Maple, Honey Locust, and Horse Chestnut.
Treetones Tour Map
- Download the Treetones Tour Map PDF
Consult the map to locate the 12 unique trees highlighted on the tour. Identify the trees by the distinctive bark rubbing sewn into the orange sash tied around each tree trunk.
1. Pin Oak
2. Red Oak
3. London Plane
4. Ginkgo
5. Willow
6. American Elm
7. Siberian Elm
8. Tuliptree
9. English Elm
10. Norway Maple
11. Honey Locust
12. Horse Chestnut
Collect the Rubbings
Handmade rubbings with the name of the tree and a description of the bark were found in the pockets of each tree sash and available for collection.
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This project was made possible by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Trust for For Governors Island, and the National Park Service. govisland.com
