ReCov­ered: Chicago’s Urban Tree Canopy was an exhi­bi­tion at the Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Cen­ter that allowed vis­i­tors to dis­cov­er the role that trees play in our city. ReCov­ered explored the impact of trees — from qual­i­ty of life to qual­i­ty of air — on the urban dweller’s experience.

ReCov­ered fea­tured an immer­sive, abstract tree canopy instal­la­tion with dap­pled sun­light fil­ter­ing through that cre­at­ed a space sug­ges­tive of a grove of trees on a warm day. Guests learned about tree plant­i­ng ini­tia­tives through­out Chica­go as well as trees native to the local area. Part of the exhib­it pro­vid­ed an oppor­tu­ni­ty to write down thoughts on the impor­tance of trees in their mem­o­ries and lives. 

The ReCov­ered exhi­bi­tion was curat­ed by Ross Bar­ney Archi­tects, led by Gold Medal recip­i­ent Car­ol Ross Bar­ney, and co-curat­ed by Ryan Gann. 

“Trees are essen­tial to our expe­ri­ence as city dwellers, bring­ing much-need­ed green spaces and shade to urban areas,” said Car­ol Ross Bar­ney. ​“Ross Bar­ney Archi­tects is thrilled to part­ner with the Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Cen­ter to show­case the val­ue of trees and recre­ate the feel­ing of being among the urban tree canopy for visitors.”

Client: Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Cen­ter
Pro­gram: Tem­po­rary Exhibit

Project Team:
Ross Bar­ney Archi­tects (Exhi­bi­tion Design)
Span (Design Direc­tion, Illus­tra­tion, Fab­ri­ca­tion)
Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Cen­ter (Cura­tor)

Pho­tog­ra­phy: Tim­ber Sky­scrap­ers Pro­gram & Recep­tion Pho­tos Cour­tesy of the Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Cen­ter / © Anna Munszesheimer