Hearing Trees

T.J. Kirkpatrick
January 8 – February 26, 2026

About This Exhibition

Nature invites calm despite, or perhaps in spite, of the uncertainty in the world. Visual artist T.J. Kirkpatrick sought the refuge of the local park during the pandemic, in his case Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. As he met other visitors — often curious about his accordion-on-a-tripod film camera — a kind of chorus coalesced out of their conversations, repeating: “we need this place.”

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook reminds us that “every part of the vegetable world is singing a sing…of the divine mystery of the Creation”; this project, then, bears witness to that music. It’s elusive, but we may catch a note when we pause long enough to listen.

About the Artist

T.J. Kirkpatrick is an internationally-exhibited visual artist who spent nearly two decades working as a photojournalist, including a dozen years covering American politics for The New York Times. He was a fellow in the inaugural cohort of North American’s Us@250 initiative to reimagine the American narrative, which supported his study of the role that parks and other civic infrastructure play in the foundation of an inclusive democracy. He moved away from the high-speed life of political journalism in 2023 and now lives in Maine with his family.