The Rooting and Branching Project is a cross-disciplinary multi-class initiative led by three faculty to support students in creating a site-specific augmented reality public art project that highlights sustainable infrastructure on campus.

The Rooting-Branching project provides a unique set of experiences for the campus community as it engages students from three classes, across two colleges at FSU, in an experiential learning opportunity that is cross disciplinary in nature. 

Through participation, students reflect on how trees cultivate a sustainable environment, create artwork in response to their research, and take action to protect the climate by planting native fruit and nut trees on campus with support from FSU’s Grounds and Landscaping. This end result is a publicly accessible interactive art project that uses locative tools and augmented reality to situate students’ digital sculptures and performance sequences, site-specifically in proximity to the trees or sites they created their artwork in response to. 

Faculty members Katie Kehoe and Keith Roberson with the Department of Art, Andrew Opel with the School of Communications conceived and designed this initiative with consultation and support from David MacManus, Assistant Manager of FSU’s Grounds and Landscaping and Phoenix Fermin, FSU’s Greenhouse Manager. 

Trees Planted with Students:

On Friday, April 7,, 2023, the following three native fruit and nut trees - Stuart Pecan, Black Walnut and Yaupon Holly, were planted at designated sites on campus as part of this public art project. The trees were selected through consultation with David MacManus, Assistant Manager of FSU’s Grounds and Landscaping and Phoenix Fermin, FSU’s Greenhouse Manager and planted by the participating students and faculty with guidance and support from FSU Grounds and Landscaping.

This initiative is funded by FSU’s Green Fund.