Catherine L Ruane

Witness trees attest to traumatic human events. The mighty oaks of Gettysburg bare witness to the most savage battles of the Civil War, and still hold the bullets to prove it. Savannah, Georgia’s willow trees were used to lynch countless black men during Jim Crow. Thick branches were torn from Salem maples to torture and burn women accused of witchcraft. These remarkable trees offer a dramatic metaphor of strength in the face of challenge and evoke an emotional presence that inspires my work.