2025-26 Trees Series – Events Calendar
As part of its 2025-26 season, the Weis Center is hosting a series of programs including performances, creative projects, walks and lectures centered on the theme of trees.
Thank you to our lead sponsors:
The Douglas K. Candland Fund
SPRING 2006 EVENTS
Join the Weis Center’s amazing student employees as they read trees-themed storybooks to children of all ages. Several reading groups will be offered. Light refreshments will be served.
FREE!
Weis Center Atrium
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Dying of kidney disease, a man spends his last, somber days with family, including the ghost of his wife and a forest spirit who used to be his son, on a rural northern Thailand farm. Part of Bucknell’s weekly film series and open to all.
FREE!
Campus Theatre, downtown Lewisburg
Join us for a tree-themed Story Circle, facilitated by Susquehanna Valley Mediation. Story Circles create an opportunity for people in our community to connect with one another and be heard through story telling.
FREE!
Public Library for Union County, Lewisburg
Christophe Golé is a mathematics professor at Smith College, whose research explores the intersection of math, biology, and dynamical systems. He is a leading expert in phyllotaxis – the study of plant patterns – and has collaborated across disciplines to understand the mathematical rules that shape nature. His work brings rigorous mathematics into the heart of natural beauty. Hosted by the Bucknell Mathematics Department.
FREE!
Weis Center Atrium
Journey into the astonishing universe of Pilobolus’s Other Worlds Collection, traversing the landscape of the human experience with heart-stopping grace, acrobatic power, and breathtaking artistry. Explore the multitudes of the human condition as Pilobolus fuses sensuality, humor, and extraordinary physical prowess in a spellbinding performance.
Tickets: Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center Concert Hall
Pre-show artist talk from 1:15-1:45 p.m., Weis Center Atrium. FREE!
The ensemble will perform David Lang’s before and after nature, which is based on The End of Nature by Bill McKibben and After Nature by Jedidiah Purdy. Both books discuss humanity’s relationship to nature. The performance will feature the Bucknell Choir under the direction of Professor Caleb Hopkins and Bang on a Can All-Stars will provide instrumental support.
Tickets: Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center Concert Hall
Enjoy trees-themed games (with refreshments!) with fellow Bucknell students and community members.
FREE!
Weis Center Atrium
The Bucknell Farm offers public volunteering on Wednesdays and Fridays 4:30-7 p.m., March 18th through May 8th. On Fridays, volunteers get to tend the Orchard and Food Forest, two agroforestry projects at the Farm, by weeding, planting, mulching and more! Sign up on Engaged Bucknell: https://bucknell.givepulse.com/group/770406.
FREE!
Various Locations – see website
Hosted by the Bucknell Center for Sustainability & the Environment
Featured speaker: Dr. Beronda Montgomery, author of When Trees Testify, as she uses trees to weave together black history and botanical knowledge. The event will include a panel to discuss different efforts to integrate trees into our communities and study their ecology followed by campus themed tour options and a Sustainability Expo. Registration is required. Visit the website for details and locations: https://sustainabilitysymposium.scholar.bucknell.edu/
FREE!
Pre-show artist talk from 6:45-7:15 p.m., Weis Center Atrium. FREE!
Founded by pianist and composer Renee Rosnes, Artemis is a powerful ensemble of instrumental virtuosos. Along with Rosnes, the quintet includes trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Allison Miller. Fresh off its second consecutive win for Jazz Group of the Year in the DownBeat Readers Poll, Artemis returns with its third Blue Note album Arboresque, a vibrant eight-song set that presents original compositions by each of the band members as well as arrangements of pieces by Wayne Shorter, Burt Bacharach and Donald Brown.
Tickets: Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center Concert Hall
Carl will discuss the art of bonsai, a unique combination of art and horticulture. Learn about the common misconceptions of bonsai, proper care, the many varieties of bonsai styles, and much more.
FREE!
Weis Center Atrium
Led by Suzann Schiemer and Ronald Haas
This class will explore four new themes of nature-based wellness connection supported by research and practical experience. Each class will consist of an indoor classroom segment (presentation and discussion) and outdoor experiential learning activities. New class themes will include: Awe in the Woods, Gratitude in the Woods, Reciprocity in the Woods, and one mystery theme to be determined at a later time. Course requires BILL membership. Contact BILL for more information.
Led by Irmgard Seidl-Adams
This course will delve into the biology of trees, trying to answer questions like: How do white pines, oaks and date palms differ from one another?, How does a tree form a branch, and why do palm trees have no branches? Why could one build a tunnel through a giant Sequoia in Yosemite’s Mariposa grove without killing the tree? What happens in the fall when leaves change their color? What are the advantages of different bark types? What makes a forest? Are all forests “created equal”? What is an urban forest? How were trees incorporated into city planning and why? Course requires BILL membership. Contact BILL for more information.
More info will be added soon.
FREE!
Pre-show artist talk from 6:45-7:15 p.m., Weis Center Atrium. FREE!
Hailed by the international press as “a shamanic orchestra for a technological age”, the Orchestra of Indigenous Instruments and New Technologies (OIANT) brings to life long forgotten indigenous instruments. Its show Hidden Sounds of the Americas is a musical journey across the continent that blends traditional music and contemporary works. Through an immersive audiovisual experience, the performance melds ancient sounds to cutting-edge technology, featuring replicas of pre-Hispanic instruments alongside indigenous masks and dances.
Tickets: Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center Concert Hall
Morgan Furze, plant biologist and Bucknell alumna ‘12, will share her research on how trees respond to environmental stress and what this reveals about the future of forests. Hosted by the Bucknell Biology Department.
FREE!
Weis Center Atrium
PAST EVENTS (FALL 2025)
About the Tree Talks: Step away from your daily routine and join us campfire-style, with a mug of hot coffee or tea, as we explore the vast arboreal world around us. From the science of orchard management to ancient tree lore, from the history of the local logging industry to a live spoon carving demo, each Tree Talk offers a unique perspective on the deep-rooted significance of trees. Join us for one session, a couple, or all of them.
Interdisciplinary artist, designer, and woodworker Gina Siepel spent 6 years studying a single tree in its forested habitat. Bridging art, ecology, and the queer experience, the project rethinks wood as material and living being, challenging binaries and inviting reflection on forest interconnection, environmental responsibility, and the power of community.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
Dr. Chris Martine, Biology, will talk about plant reproduction, the basic idea being that people, to avoid the mess of fruits, have planted more male trees, which has meant more pollen. But the story isn’t as simple (nor accurate).
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
Greenhouse Caretaker, Tasha Hall, will share recipes for floral essences of trees and their effects on the physical and emotional body.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
Business Manager at Dries Orchard in Sunbury, John Bzdil will lead a conversation about maintaining orchards, from apple varieties to the challenge of finding field workers.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
Pianist and composer Andre Mehmari’s trio blends Brazilian roots with jazz and classical influences in a new nature-inspired repertoire shaped by his life in the Atlantic Forest. Tickets: Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center Atrium
Bucknell L&IT Staff member Wade Hutchison will discuss the craft of woodworking and will demonstrate spoon carving.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
Join the Samek Art Museum for an engaging interview as Margaret Cronin from Bucknell University speaks with Gina Siepel, the artist behind the To Understand A Tree exhibition. They will explore the ancient relationship between humans, trees, and forests, discussing how this connection can be deepened and transformed in today’s era. A reception will follow.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
National Geographic Explorer at Large Nalini Nadkarni interweaves her research on rainforest canopy habitat with dazzling imagery. Tickets: Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center
Local folk historian and storyteller Fiona Powell will recount ancient Celtic tree stories.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
Dr. Claire Campbell, History, will chronicle North American ideas about forests.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
John Lantz, luthier at JR Violins, discusses types of woods used in instrument building.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
Kurbasy channels contemporary connections to folk songs and lullabies of the past with its time-bending “Songs of the Ukrainian Forest” in a multimedia performance. Tickets: Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center
Nrityagram was founded as a school devoted to Indian dance. They will perform KHAṄKHAṆĀ: The Sound of Dancing Feet with live music. Tickets: Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center
Michael Palko, former PA forester, will talk about his experience using trees as a fuel source in schools and hospitals and forest regeneration.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
Bucknell Film Club presents their 24-Hour Film Challenge at the Campus Theatre! After receiving their tree-related prompt, each group has 24 hours to plan, film, and edit a short film.
Campus Theatre, Downtown Lewisburg
Dr. Tyler Yamin, Music, will share findings from his doctoral work which focused on the sounds of gibbons in the forests of Borneo.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
Dr. John Penniman, Religious Studies, will explore the significance of trees within multiple religious traditions, with an emphasis on the central role that trees have played in myths, rituals, and ethics. We will discuss how trees have shaped cultural worldviews and, in turn, how these worldviews affect the meaning humans make of trees.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
Local Shade Tree Commission volunteer, Amy Levan, talks about the importance of urban trees.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
Charly Lowry, an Indigenous singer-songwriter from Pembroke, N.C., blends powerful vocals with advocacy for underserved communities. Tickets: Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center
Rev. Fr. Paul Siewers is Associate Professor of English Literary Studies and will present an academic talk that includes Tolkein’s Ents.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
This inaugural Crankiefest will feature several original moving panoramas with tree-inspired themes, all created and performed by Bucknell students.
Weis Center Atrium
Olyssa Starry, Program Director at the BCSE, will share results from the Leaf It Be project and the importance of fallen leaves to soil health.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor
There will be tree books and films on display throughout the semester that will be available for checkout. Available for Bucknell community only, BU IDs required.
Bucknell University, Bertrand Library
Share a creative expression of your favorite tree with a selfie, poem, or artwork. Submit to WeisCntr@Bucknell.edu. One submission per person, please.