In Spring of 2017, members of The Folk School Fairbanks launched a year-long program under the name of “One Two Tree,” a play on words referencing a previous “One Tree” project in the past. The project revolved around a single birch tree and a year of projects using that one tree in as many ways as possible. The tree was photographed, drawn, tapped for sap (which became syrup), trimmed, and eventually cut down for raw materials for many participating artists and craftspeople. A culminating exhibit was held at Trax Outdoor Center in March 2018 to showcase all of the products of the project.
The FCC Women’s Writing Workshop participated in the One Two Tree project in collaboration with two classrooms of elementary students. In Spring 2017, 44 schoolchildren were bussed to The Folk School to view and draw the tree while it was still standing, learning about the life cycle of a birch tree and drawing technique in the process. The children drew the tree in a simple black and white line drawing technique, with the knowledge that their drawings were going to be provided to the women of FCC to paint upon. In the fall of 2017, the drawings were twice brought into FCC and the women in attendance painted and wrote on the drawings. The collaborative works were mounted and displayed at the exhibit in March 2018, alongside all of the crafts and creative works using the rest of the tree. This collaborative project was very impactful for everyone involved- the children who drew the tree, the women who painted the drawings, the public, and especially the facilitators of the project.