“Speak For The Trees is not only about art, nor is it solely about the environment, spirituality, science, or philosophy. This collection embodies and blends all of these elements and more: it transcends boundaries … this would be an entirely different book were it titled Speak About The Trees.”
Epilogue – Andria Friesen
Much more than a coffee table book, Speak for the Trees, compiled and published by Andria Friesen in 2009, was inspired by her lifelong dedication to art, artists, and the environment. In realizing her vision, Andria reached out to painters, sculptors, photographers, and conceptual artists from across the globe, asking them to answer a call by Dr. Seuss (in his 1971 classic, The Lorax) … to “speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.”
Speak For The Trees includes both young and emerging artists, and such world-renowned figures as David Hockney, conceptual artist Yoko Ono, pop-surrealist Mark Ryden, photorealistic master Robert Longo, and international environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Myoung Ho Lee is stunningly showcased on the book’s cover and featured within as are the beyond-categorization Starn Brothers. All 76 artists contributed artwork, which has been showcased on a two-page spread together with the artist’s thinking on their work in relationship to trees. Also featured is a quote chosen by each artist, yet written by someone other than themselves. This resulted in an even more profound compilation, with thoughts and words from thinkers and writers as diverse as Buddha, Albert Einstein, Henry David Thoreau and William Shakespeare to name a few.
Speak For The Trees explores the profound relationship humanity has with trees — moving and inspiring all who experience it. This is a reflection, Friesen writes, of something we have known for more than 5,000 years: “We are connected… gratitude and respect for nature are paramount. If we tuned in and returned to that deeper understanding and sense of unity, how could the world not be a better place?”
The project received a remarkable response from all participants: few of the artists had heard of Friesen or of her galleries in Sun Valley, Idaho and Seattle, Washington, but all agreed to participate based on the title of the book alone; the artists’ visual and written offerings were donated, and no royalties were paid for any copyrighted text.
The book itself carries the logo of the Forest Stewardship Council, certifying that all materials are products of responsibly managed forests and verified recycled sources, with all fibers tracked from forest to the consumer. The paper comprising the 200 pages is of 100 percent sustainable material and is printed with soy-based ink.