ELIZABETH ORENSTEIN | OWNER
I was born in Monterey, MA, on top of a hill in late October. My earliest memories are of walking through the woods behind our house, under the broad cool hemlocks and over the clear streams. The first distinct memory I have of a wild plant is one I saw by the side of the road and ran home to thumb through the Audubon guide to identify. It was coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara. I loved how hardy this little yellow flower was. How it was just the beginning of spring but already the coltsfoot was showing its shining face alongside the dirt road, growing in sand and rocks.
Years later I learned that this little flower has been used for centuries to treat respiratory problems, in fact the cold medicine Robitussin owes its origin and name to coltsfoot. I also learned that coltsfoot is not native to North America and its very existence in these lands requires us to also consider cultural exchange, conquest, and colonization.
What I learned about coltsfoot began my fascination with ethnobotany: the study of how human cultures interact with the plant communities that grow around them. These works represent my dual love for ethnobotany and the visual arts.
I invite you to get to know these plants, their communities, and some of their histories through my work. I invite you to take a step closer to each plant and bring their community into your own community. Through our connection to place we can begin to repair the generations of ecological harm that we have wrought on this land and on the whole earth. The more I am able to get to know my neighbors, these plants, the greater my ability to advocate for, protect, and be in community with these lands.
I am passionate about working with local small businesses and non-profits. I think it's criminal that good people doing great work should have bad design.
Contact me, let's see what we can create together - trilliumwrkshp@gmail.com