In this episode, Daniel interviews Florida State University faculty members Katie Kehoe and Keith Roberson of the Department of Art and Andy Opel of the School of Communications. They speak about the creation of the Rooting-Branching art project and native tree plantings at FSU’s campus. Katie, Keith, and Andy discuss the background, difficulties, successes, and outcomes of the project.
New episodes of Tallahassee Tree Talks will drop on Wednesdays (October 16 through December 4), on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube Music!
The Guests:
Katie Kehoe is an assistant professor in the Florida State University Department of Art. She teaches sculpture and expanded media, often focusing on sustainable artistic practices such as reuse of materials. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States and even in Canada.
Keith Roberson is a professor in the Department of Art at Florida State University. He teaches animation, focusing on experimental and 3d animation, and has begun to teach courses incorporating AI in the studio. Most of his research is in digital media, but he has also done some science education exhibitions.
Andy Opel is a Professor in the School of Communication at Florida State University. He teaches documentary film production, immersive media, and environmental communication. He has created a number of environmental PSAs, including one that won Best PSA from the Broadcast Educator’s Association in 2010. More recently, his class created a documentary called “Stories From The Apalachicola: An Endangered River,” about the Apalachicola River basin.
Further tree reading and viewing:
- Rooting-Branching webpage. This page contains a map of the Rooting-Branching project and a description and overview of this project. It also contains the Rooting-Branching student art projects and descriptions of the trees next to which they were displayed.
- Keith Roberson’s webpage. Visit to learn more about his work and see some of the art he’s created.
- Katie Kehoe’s webpage. Visit to learn more about her work and see some of the art she’s created.
- Andy Opel’s webpage. Visit to learn more about his work and see some of the documentaries he’s created.
- The Apalachicola River Project website. This project was mentioned by Andy Opel. The website includes student blogs and videos about the Apalachicola River Basin, and culminated in a one-hour documentary.
This podcast was sponsored by a grant from the Sunshine State Biodiversity Group, a Tallahassee-based non-profit committed to conservation, education, and outreach related to biodiversity and rewilding in the state of Florida.
