Continue the Legacy
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This Jefferson Trust-funded project sought to make use of the 125-year-old tulip poplar that was removed prior to Alderman Library’s renovation beginnings in March of 2021. The team believed that trees such as the Alderman Poplar tell us stories about deep time and years of survival and growth. This tree has been a witness to incredible transformation across this University—a transformation that continues with force today.
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Erin Putalik, Mark Kutney, Andrew Spears, Tim VIctorio, Youfang Duan
UVA Sawmilling, The Jefferson Trust, Bill Sherman, Melissa Goldman, Trevor Kemp, The FabLab TAs, Larry Gouchenor, Richard Hopkins, Dick Smith, SKANSKA Construction, Bartlett Tree Removal, and so many others.
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Tulip Poplar (Alderman Poplar) 3.5”x160”x Varying Widths
Over a century ago, a single poplar tree sprouted on the Grounds of UVA. Now, 125 years later, we continue the legacy of the Alderman Poplar, celebrating its unique patterns and colors that deem it a “Rainbow Poplar,” by immortalizing two of many thirteen-foot-long slabs milled from the felled tree logs. Each of the Alderman Poplar’s 125 rings mark a year of passage, a year of survival and growth. This tree has been a witness to incredible transformation across this University—a transformation that continues with force today. Now, in its new home, these Alderman Poplar tables can become the setting for even more incredible stories. This table installation, titled TimeTables, signals the continued legacy of the Poplar, constantly experiencing and facilitating conversations and relationships between those who sit around it.
