Trees of Aspen

Trees of Aspen

Incorporating burned remnants of aspen trees from a forest fire near Aspen, Colorado, Alan Sonfist’s Trees of Aspen (2008) is a work of quiet grandeur that attests to both the fragility and resiliency of nature in the face of man–made and natural disasters.

Trees of Aspen is located in the atrium of the Toyota Technological Institute building, an early 20th–century telephone exchange center that has been adaptively reused and renovated to house the Institute and the University’s Information Technologies Services. Its references to rebirth take on new significance when considered with the site's history. Originally a Illinois Bell telephone switching station, the building was abandoned when the technology became obsolete. It wasn’t until 2006, when the University renovated the property, that it was transformed once more into a technology hub for the 21st century. Describing both the sculpture and the building, Richard Bumstead, Associate Director of Campus Environment noted, "It’s a survivor… It’s renewal, repurpose, and rebirth. All of these things work together between the building and the sculpture."

Alan Sonfist (b. 1946)

Created 2008
Installed 2011

Collection of the Smart Museum of Art

Located in the atrium of the Toyota Technological Institute building
6045 S. Kenwood Avenue

Sculpture