Forest Service, Culture, and Community

Many artists participated in the 2005 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, including seagrass basket weaver Henrietta Snype from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Photo by Joe Furgal, Smithsonian Institution

2005 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Forest Service Culture and Community program
Photograph ny Rebecca Summerour, Smithsonian Institution

After the wood is dried and turned, "nothing further happens," Walt Thies observes. "There’s no further decay or deterioration. That color will stay, I guess, forever.".
Photo by John Korb, Smithsonian Institution

Inspirations from the Forest

Introduction

When you enter a forest,
     what do you see?
When you are climbing a mountain,
     what do you hear?
When you are hiking through grasslands,
     what do you feel?

This exhibition explores the ways our national forests—timberlands, grasslands, mountains, and waterways—have served and continue to serve as inspirations to those who create works of art.

No matter who you are, or where you live, you can be inspired by your environment. Many of the artists and writers featured in this exhibition have drawn from their experiences in the outdoors to transform natural materials into splendid objects of beauty.

As you walk through the exhibition, focus on how artists and writers

draw inspiration from the world of nature,
tell a story through poetry, art, and music, and
learn from the past and share their traditions.

This exhibition, Inspirations from the Forest, was produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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