Branch: Events and Programs
In conjunction with the exhibition Branch: Trees in American Art, The Trout Gallery will offer a variety of events and programs throughout the summer and fall seasons. Please visit this page for ongoing updates, including scheduled times, locations, and program details. We are proud to collaborate with campus and community partners to make these events possible.
Image: Henry Boese, Valley of the Cumberland, Oil on canvas, ca. 1850, The Trout Gallery,1944.1.1, Gift of Mrs. Charles Service.
BRANCHING OUT
This self-guided tree tour was created in conjunction with the Trout Gallery exhibition, Branch: Trees in American Art."
Find the Tree Tour HERE.
Sept. 4, 2026
Help us ring in the Fall Semester with receptions for two exhibitions celebrating American art, live music, and free pizza made by the Dickinson College farm and served on Weiss Plaza!
Sept. 19, 2026
Join Trout Gallery interns and community partners to experience Branching Out: Exploring Trees Through Art and Science, a walking tour through Dickinson's campus. Learn how the tour came together and explore the biological diversity of Dickinson College trees.
Time: 10 AM
Meet in the Lobby of the Weiss Center for the Arts
Sept. 30, 2026
Artist Sam Van Aken, whose work, Untitled (Plum Boles) 2014-2017, is on view in the exhibition Branch, will give a public lecture about his work, including his process of sculpting through grafting.
A reception with light refreshments will be held from 4:30 – 5:30 PM in the lobby of the Weiss Center for the Arts.
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Weiss, 235
Oct. 3, 2026
Build a Wildlife Hibernaculum from Invasive Plants
Letort Spring Garden Preserve (Melester Barn)
1110 S Spring Garden St, Carlisle, PA 17013
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Vans from Dickinson College leave at 8:30 am from the plaza of Weiss Center for the Arts for students and staff who would like a ride. They return at 10:30 a.m.
Join Jesse Price, Land Stewardship Director for the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, for a hands-on workshop exploring an innovative way to support local wildlife while managing invasive plants. Participants will learn how to construct a hibernaculum, an overwintering shelter that provides critical refuge for wildlife during freezing winter temperatures when natural habitat is limited. Whether you're a gardener, nature enthusiast, or conservation-minded community member, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to learn, build, and support local wildlife.
Oct. 5, 2026
When Trees Testify:
Learning From and With Trees
Anita Tuvin Schlecter Auditorium
360 W Louther St, Carlisle, PA 17013
7:00 - 8:00PM
Beronda L. Montgomery will discuss themes from her recent book, When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy, including the ways seven trees—as well as the cotton shrub—are intertwined with Black history and culture. The histories of trees in America are also the histories of Black Americans. Pecan trees were domesticated by an enslaved African named Antoine; sycamore trees were both havens and signposts for people trying to escape enslavement; poplar trees are historically associated with lynching; and willow bark has offered the gift of medicine. These trees, and others, testify not only to the complexity of the Black American narrative but also to a heritage of Black botanical expertise that, like Native American traditions, predates the United States entirely.
The program is presented by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and the Morgan Lecture Fund and co-sponsored by The Trout Gallery and is in conjunction with the Trout Gallery exhibition Branch: Trees in American Art. It is also part of the Clarke Forum’s annual theme, Revolutions.
Oct. 24, 2026
Tree Dedication Ceremony at Letort Spring Garden Preserve
Letort Spring Garden Preserve
1110 S Spring Garden St, Carlisle, PA 17013
Meeting Point: Trail parking lot
Time TBD
Join The Trout Gallery and the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy for a special tree dedication ceremony celebrating the planting of three new trees at Letort Spring Garden Preserve. This event is part of the community outreach program accompanying Branch: Trees in American Art, The Trout Gallery’s current exhibition exploring the cultural, ecological, and artistic significance of trees in American life.
The newly planted trees symbolize the partnership between art and environmental stewardship, as well as our shared commitment to preserving and enhancing local natural spaces. Following the dedication, participants are invited to enjoy light refreshments and hear an update on current projects and future plans for the Preserve from Jesse Price, Land Stewardship Director with the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy.
Come celebrate this meaningful collaboration and learn more about the ongoing efforts to protect and care for one of the region’s treasured natural resources.
Nov. 5, 2026
Tree Obsessions: Celebrating the Ephemeral in Long-Lived Plants
Anita Tuvin Schlecter Auditorium
360 W Louther St, Carlisle, PA 17013
7:00 - 8:00 PM
In an age of environmental destruction and outright murder of our biological brethren, there is something deeply troubling about humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Technology has left us with mere facsimiles of nature – pixilated abstractions of biodiversity through satellite imagery, decoded strings of DNA – and we have become fundamentally disconnected from actual nature. I will argue that by mindfully engaging in the simple act of observing nature (and obsessing about it) in arboreta, botanical gardens, and our backyards, trees can help us forge a personal and empathic lifelong connection with the “other,” the vast and variant organisms with which we share the planet. As Johann Wolfgang Goethe aptly wrote: “To wander about among a vegetation which is new to one is pleasant and instructive. It is the same with familiar plants as with familiar objects: in the end we cease to think about them at all. What is seeing without thinking?” Indeed, seeing without thinking lies at the very heart of the human-created crisis of global change and extinction, and the disconnect between humans and the millions of other species and countless organisms with whom we share the planet. Can the simple practice of deepening our love of individual trees (that cannot love us back) make us better stewards of Earth’s biodiversity? I think so.
The program is presented by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by The Trout Gallery and is in conjunction with the Trout Gallery exhibition Branch: Trees in American Art. It is also part of the Clarke Forum’s Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series.