As part of its 2025-26 season, the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, in collaboration with the Samek Art Museum, will host a series of programs including performances, creative projects, walks and lectures centered on the theme of trees.All events are FREE except where noted.

The Trees Series brochure is available at the Weis Center, online at go.bucknell.edu/TreesSeries or by calling 570-577-3727.

Rachel Martine, Artist Relations & Education Programs Coordinator says of the series, “Much like the Coal Series we hosted in 2016-17, we see the Tree Series as an opportunity to connect the community to our performances and programs in a meaningful and poignant way. Who doesn’t like trees? Who hasn’t had at least one memorable experience with a tree or in the woods? In this region of Pennsylvania, especially, our history is closely linked to the forests around us. And it’s right there in the name Pennsylvania, Penn’s Woods.” 

Martine continued, “It is also a way for us to synergize a set of more than forty musicians, artists, speakers, films and other events, across a full academic year under one thematic umbrella. Whether you’re interested in music, dance, visual art, or the history and science of trees, we’ve got something for you. And we’re also asking for local folks to get involved by sharing their own stories about a tree they have gotten to know.”

The Weis Center is curating an online creative space about Trees. Community members are also encouraged to share a creative expression of your favorite tree with a selfie, poem, or artwork. View current submissions on the Weis Center’s blog: https://weiscenter.blogs.bucknell.edu/2025-26-trees-series/

Submit to WeisCntr@Bucknell.edu. One entry per person, please.

FALL 2025 EVENTS

Aug. 27-Dec. 7
Art Exhibition: Gina Siepel: To Understand a Tree
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

Thursday, Sept. 4, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: Botanical Sexism: Does Planting Male Trees Mean More Allergies?
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

Thursday, Sept. 11, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: Tree Flower Essences: Nature’s Healing
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

Thursday, Sept. 18, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: Rooted in Resilience: Life as an Orchardist
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

Wednesday, Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m.
Performance: Andre Mehmari Trio (Jazz/World Music)
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. This is a ticketed event. Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center Atrium

Thursday, Sept. 25, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: Hand-Carved Wooden Spoons and the Slöjd Tradition
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

Monday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m.
Artist Talk: Gina Siepel
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

Tuesday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.
Multimedia: National Geographic Live: From Roots to Canopy
National Geographic Explorer at Large Nalini Nadkarni interweaves her research on rainforest canopy habitat with dazzling imagery.  This is a ticketed event. Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center

Thursday, Oct. 2, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: “Battle of the Trees” and Other Ancient Tree Lore
Local folk historian and storyteller Fiona Powell will recount ancient Celtic tree stories.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor

Thursday, Oct. 9, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: Deceptively Resilient: The Dangerous Romance of Trees
Dr. Claire Campbell, History, will chronicle North American ideas about forests.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor

Thursday, Oct. 16, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: Violins: Crafting Sound from Nature
John Lantz, luthier at JR Violins, discusses types of woods used in instrument building.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor

Friday, Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m.
Performance: Kurbasy (World Music/Ukraine)
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. This is a ticketed event. Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m.
Performance: Nrityagram Dance Ensemble (Classical Indian Dance)
Nrityagram was founded as a school devoted to Indian dance. They will perform KHAṄKHAṆĀ: The Sound of Dancing Feet with live music. This is a ticketed event. Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center

Thursday, Oct. 23, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: Harvest to Heat: Biomass Energy and the Case for Sustainable Forestry
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

Tuesday, October 28, 7 p.m.
Student Films
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

Thursday, Oct. 30, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: Listening to A Rainforest
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

Thursday, Nov. 6, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: The Religious Life of Trees
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

Thursday, Nov. 13, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: A Shade Tree Commission’s Role in Urban Forestry
Local Shade Tree Commission volunteer, Amy Levan, talks about the importance of urban trees.
Samek Art Museum, Elaine Langone Center (ELC), Third Floor

Thursday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m.
Performance: Charly Lowry (Folk/Americana)
Charly Lowry, an Indigenous singer-songwriter from Pembroke, N.C., blends powerful vocals with advocacy for underserved communities. This is a ticketed event. Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or 570-577-1000
Weis Center

Thursday, Nov. 20, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: The Poetics of Trees: Spiritual Symbolism in Biblical and early Celtic and Germanic poetry, alongside Tolkien’s Ents and Bucknell’s Native Tree of Peace
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

Monday, Dec, 1, 7 p.m.
Crankiefest
This inaugural Crankiefest will feature several original moving panoramas with tree-inspired themes, all created and performed by Bucknell students. 
Weis Center Atrium

Thursday, Dec. 4, 4:30 p.m.
Tree Talk: Leaf Them Be: Simple Landscape Restoration Projects
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

Ongoing
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

More to come in Spring 2026; stay tuned!

For more info: go.bucknell.edu/TreesSeries and Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter