Rooted Series

How are roots like relationships?

Juliette Ripley-Dunkelberger grew up on several acres of forest and gardens in the Northwest. She spent many hours building forts, playing with salamanders, and communing with the trees. The bracken fern, violets, trilliums, and dogwoods were all part of her community. They were always open to hearing her troubles and ideas and provided a safe space to imagine. 

These intimate experiences with the northwest landscape have deeply impacted her work. The relationships between individual plants and the forest informed her understanding of supportive relationships necessary for healthy communities. Like the mycelial network found in forests providing resource sharing, communicating dangers, and sustaining diversity, Juliette’s community and relationships impact her wellbeing in meaningful ways.

Juliette plays with the idea of nature’s networks as a metaphor for our relationships within our community, exploring the ways in which we impact our chosen communities and how they impact us. These ideas  run deep through this latest body of work.