Agriculture and art are joining forces in the City of Brotherly Love. Contemporary artist Sam Van Aken is bringing the “Tree of 40 Fruit” to Temple University’s main campus in Philadelphia. This art project is a single grafted tree that produces 40 varieties of apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, and other stone fruits. Over the next two years, students will have the opportunity to learn more about the fusion of horticulture and art and Van Aken plans to plant an additional “Tree of 40 Fruit” in Temple’s Ambler Arboretum. Students will also learn about the cultural history of fruit in the Philadelphia region including indigenous and introduced varieties.
During a recent lecture, Van Aken shared his passion for grafting and its deep historical roots potentially dating back to 1800 BCE. Grafting is a way to propagate fruit trees by combining one plant’s qualities of flowering or fruiting with the roots of a more vigorous or resilient species. It is used for two main reasons, according to the University of New Hampshire Extension. Firstly, most fruit trees don’t come true to seed. For example, the seeds from a McIntosh apple won’t grow into McIntosh trees. Secondly, cuttings don’t root very easily. Grafting joins together a piece of vegetative wood (called the scion) from a more rigorous tree. It is a difficult skill that requires a lot of practice, but can go a long way.
“For me, what’s become really interesting in my discovery process is that these heirloom fruits aren’t just agricultural products,” Van Aken said in a lecture. “They are cultural objects and embedded in them aren’t just nutritional aspects or tastes, it’s actually the history of civilizations around the world.”
[ Related: Ecologists have declared war on this popular decorative tree. ]
While taking in the history that each fruit holds, the students attending the lecture grafted their own pit fruit tree. It offered a way to practice this delicate skill of splicing branches in order to create new life.
“Bringing an artist to campus whose medium is trees is such an exciting opportunity,” said Sasha Eisenman, associate professor of horticulture and chair of the Architecture and Environmental Design Department, said in a statement. “Seeing how art, science and nature intersect is valuable for our students as they navigate their careers and align their passions with their professional pursuits. Horticulture, in its many forms, provides opportunities to positively impact both the environment and people’s lives.”
Van Aken also led a workshop on creating botanical cyanotypes. These cyan-blue prints are created by a photographic process that uses a light-sensitive solution and exposure to UV light. Students used natural light to expose their cyanotypes on both fabric and paper and experimented with blending artistic techniques and organic materials.
A botanical cyanotype. CREDIT: Photography by Ryan S. Brandenberg/Temple University.
“I’ve been working with cyanotype in class for a few months now, preparing for this visit, but seeing someone so masterful with the process was incredible,” Jami Deluca, a junior photography major, said in a statement. “Talking with Sam, I realized he’s almost like a detective—tracking down rare plants, researching their history and preserving them through his work. We see the finished cyanotypes, but behind them is this deep scientific process, from gathering materials to the chemistry of printing. It’s a whole new way to think about art.”
As far as the “Tree of 40 Fruit,” it generally takes one year to know if the graft has succeeded. Then, it will take another two to three years to know if it produces fruit.
“It takes up to eight years to create just one of the trees,” Van Aken told NPR in July. “Each of the varieties grafted to the ‘Tree of 40 Fruit’ has a slightly different form and a slightly different color.”
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