Longleaf Pine Ecology

This project sits at the intersection of ecology, education, art, and community.

It was a collaboration coordinated by the Cameron Art Museum and facilitated by James Farley (artist), Karen Smith Linehan (environmental educator), and Andy Fairbanks (Park Ranger). It took place in the longleaf pine ecosystem of Halyburton Park.

The project fostered a partnership between 6th-grade students from D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy and the Friends School of Wilmington, with students first connecting as pen pals, meeting at Halyburton Park, and exploring the life cycle and ecological significance of the Longleaf Pine ecosystem. After a guided walk and close observation of a fire-managed Longleaf Pine restoration site, students gathered materials directly from the forest floor to create cyanotype impressions of the place, the pines, and their time together. The resulting works are traces of time spent in an ecological exchange between people, place, and pines.

Special thanks to Corning, D.C. Virgo, Friends School of Wilmington, and the Cameron Art Museum for supporting this collaborative project.

Photography by James T. Farley & Maggie Beck