The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and CCS Join Forces for d.Tree Studio

Two vital Detroit cultural institutions create new exhibit exploring design, sustainability, community vision, craft, and storytelling

Exhibit open from March 19 to April 2, 2022 at CCS’ Center Galleries

Dying Zelkova trees at the Wright.

Over the course of two years, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (The Wright) worked in unison with its neighbors, the College for Creative Studies (CCS) to create a unique curriculum called the d.Tree Studio. In 2018, when The Wright noticed dying Zelkova trees on their Midtown campus. With this observation, and as part of its mission to be a zero waste institution, the museum decided to form a collaboration with CCS. The goal of the partnership is to use the lumber harvested from the Zelkova trees in a creative endeavor and question how an African American museum and art and design school could set a precedent for climate justice art. 

The collaboration has resulted in d.Tree Studio.  For 15 weeks, students in the CCS Woodshop explored how designers and artists can learn from the wisdom of trees through the lens of various African material cultures and African American experiences in Detroit. These two great institutions hosted critical conversations amongst Detroit’s artists, educators, students, elders, and landscape architects to explore what Detroit’s trees have seen during an event entitled:  Treeposium. During this engaging discussion, the two organizations examined the African American experience in Detroit, the science of trees, and how we’re all connected. 

The collaboration is being showcased during a new Exhibit, featuring 12 new and emerging artists, six CCS students and six community makers on scholarship. Together, these artists designed and built narrative pieces out of the harvested Zelkova wood, which will be exhibited in the d.Tree Studio Exhibition in CCS’ Center Galleries (the original location of the Wright Museum), from March 19 to April 2, 2022. The exhibition will be open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 1-6 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.