Mark Moroz '27 created illustrations of native trees for the interdisciplinary exhibition. (SUNY Geneseo/ Matt Burkhartt)
Native Trees of the Genesee Valley, a new exhibition at SUNY Geneseo, celebrates native species seen on and near campus. The display is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the departments of geography and sustainability studies, biology, English and creative writing, and Milne Library in support of the college’s 2025–26 Ideas That Matter topic of climate change.
The exhibition highlights native trees for their ecological importance, their uses by the Seneca people, their traditional use in creating art, and their current uses in homes and for health. It also showcases how threats such as climate change and invasive insect populations affect the future of our ecosystem. The exhibition was organized by James Kernan, professor and chair in geography and sustainability studies; Dan DeZarn, applied learning specialist in geography and sustainability studies; and Brian Hoven, assistant professor of biology.
Each of the 24 featured species includes a pressed sample of leaves or branches; nuts or seeds; scientific information; and Seneca and modern-day uses. Lytton Smith, professor of poetry, selected stanzas and literature passages that focus on each species to accompany each frame. Alessandra Otero Ramos, liaison librarian to arts and humanities, made dyes and inks from six native trees that are displayed beside a creative work she made with them.
The exhibition also features illustrations by Mark Moroz '27, a biology and mathematics double major, who drew silhouettes of each tree with pen and ink on watercolor paper. A mini illustration of a man stands beside each tree to show scale.
"Sketching trees in my biology plant diversity class was the first time I tried drawing trees in a long time," says Moroz. "Professor Hoven saw my work and asked me to participate in the exhibition. My drawings help provide a fuller, comprehensive picture of each tree."
DeZarn hopes to organize a plant walk in the gallery this semester to encourage discussion about the importance of maintaining our ecosystems and what we stand to lose if we don’t support a balance.
"This is a different way for people to learn about trees, and a great example of what a liberal arts education is," says Kernan. "We are bringing all of these disciplines together."
Native Trees of the Genesee Valley is on view in the MacVittie College Union Ballroom Lounge through December 16 and is free and open to the public.