CELEBRATING CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS THROUGH THE ARTS, ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2025, 10 AM - 4PM
American River Conservancy and Myrtle Tree Arts are partnered once again to host the RIPE AREA: The Art of Native Plants Festival at Wakamatsu Farm, Placerville, CA
The 2025 RIPE AREA offered a wide range of artistic and cultural experiences, featuring local Indigenous practice and perspectives, and illuminating Wakamatsu Farm's native plant gardens, pond, and riparian areas. Artists and audiences alike experienced innovative ideas and artistic expressions, from plant sound installations to dramatic performances to cooking and healing with native plants. The event had the goal to inspire people to become advocates for environmental protection and preservation of California native plants and their habitats, through experiencing our interconnectedness.
ART TO ENGAGE COMMUNITIES WITH SUSTAINABLE PLANT USE & RELATIONSHIPS
Myrtle Tree Arts is working at the intersection of art and science to create ways of experiencing creative expression, innovative experimentation, traditional wisdom, and restorative practices that are accessible to all participants.
"Scientists now argue that some plants are affected by the sounds of insects eating their neighbors and increase nectar production after hearing the sound of pollinating insects, and that underground roots might detect and move toward the sound of moving water. " –Michael J. Hathaway, What A Mushroom Lives For
In Partnership
RIPE AREA is a collaborative project of Myrtle Tree Arts and American River Conservancy (ARC). ARC has been serving our communities since 1989 by preserving healthy ecosystems within the upper American River and upper Cosumnes River watersheds through land conservation, stewardship, and education. RIPE AREA is funded in part by the ARTS IN CALIFORNIA PARKS
