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Description
The Giving Tree is an observable delineation of self. A pastiche of personality and spirit. As we grow, we collect illustrations of who we are and who we are bound to become. Like the night sky garners the stars, we have underdeveloped pictures of mismatched friends we no longer talk to, crinkled birthday cards that have a ghost’s handwriting and a glittery number you can’t fathom being anymore, or abraded books you can inimitably hear your mother read while your half-asleep body lay tucked in your twin-sized bed inherited from your older brother. The Giving Tree is the voice of what was, what is, and what is to become. It holds tight to memories and the building blocks, which were once fashioned of foam and kalidoscopic color but now are clean-cut brick and cobblestone. In times of mention, humanity must desire the gratitude of the foundation; where we started. What could have sparked our fascination of storytelling other than the bound paper given ever to us by the canopy?
Award/Distinction
Raspberry Monday Purchase Award
Date of Award
Spring 2025
Publication Date
2025
Document Type
Art
Material
Gouache on Paper
Department
Art and Design
Measurements
25 inches x 22.25 inches
Advisor
Michelle Wingard
Publisher
Bethel University
City
St. Paul
Keywords
Representation, personality, & storytelling
Disciplines
Art and Design | Arts and Humanities | Painting
Recommended Citation
Petersen, Alyse A., "The Giving Tree" (2025). Raspberry Monday Art Award. 4.
https://spark.bethel.edu/raspberry-monday-art-award/4
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.