Calendar of Events

The Blue Trees: Environmental Installation

The University of West Florida Historic Trust was awarded a grant by Foo Foo Fest and ACE to present The Blue Trees: Environmental Installation, an environmental art installation by Australian artist, Konstantin Dimopoulos, from November 1-9 in conjunction with Foo Foo Fest 2024. To learn more about Kon and his art, see his website.

The trees along Zaragoza Street between Tarragona and Jefferson Streets were transformed into a striking blue forest to generate discussions on the importance of trees to communities, both globally and locally. The Blue Trees is an ongoing international art installation that Dimopoulos has created in 36 cities around the world to date, where, with the help of the community, living trees are colored blue using an environmentally-safe watercolor. 

See full list of Blue Trees collaborations below.

  • Community Application Days

Photo thanks to Visit Pensacola

The community came together to become environmental artists with Konstantin Dimopoulos on November 1, 2, 4, and 5 with The Blue Trees: Environmental Installation. The trees along Zaragoza Street, between Tarragona and Jefferson Streets, and in Museum Plaza have been transformed into a surreal landscape for Foo Foo Fest 2024. The participatory nature of the installation invited the community to become, in essence, artists while generating discussions on global deforestation and the sustainability of our natural resources. Over 150 volunteers over four days transformed the everyday into the surreal. Conversations were generated, new friends were made, and the community came together. Thank you Foo Foo Festival for making it all happen. Email wdavis4@uwf.edu with any questions or concerns. 

  • NOVEMBER 5: Blue Trees Sunset Yoga with URU Yoga

Root into the earth as you ground yourself in a Blue Trees Sunset Yoga postponed due to weather. New date announced soon. Breathe deep as you fill your lungs and breathe away the day amongst the Blue Trees: Environmental Installation. The symbiotic relationship between humans and trees connects us as one: tree, human, family, community, earth.

  • NOVEMBER 6: Blue Trees & Blue Cheese: A Wine and Cheese Reception

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Blue Trees and Blue Cheese Reception. Even though the rain shifted us to the Museum of Commerce, it was a wonderful night with good food with Classic City Catering, great music with The New Cahoots, and the best of friends, new and old.

Reception sponsored by:

    • Foo Foo Fest
    • Blue Trees Sponsor:    International Paper Foundation
    • Blue Moon Sponsor:   Florida Power and Light (FPL)
    • Blue Cheese Sponsor: Premium Parking
    • Blue Suede Sponsor: Peter and Katrina Mougey with Levin, Papantonio, Proctor, Buchanan, O'Brien, Barr, Mougey
    • Blue Grass Sponsor: Teri Levin and the Vinyl, B Side Outdoor
    • Supporting Sponsors:
      • Steve and Lisa Wright
      • Pensacola Museum of Art Guild
      • Nancy Fetterman

  • NOVEMBER 7: Nature Painting with Indigo

Join Possum and Palmetto and the UWF Historic Trust for a special workshop celebrating The Blue Trees: Environmental Art Installation! Paint your own monochromatic masterpiece with handmade, natural watercolor derived from indigo. Participants will be encouraged to select a subject from nature. Books of nature photos and illustrations will be provided for inspiration and reference.

$25, all supplies provided

Limit 20 participants for ages 13+, children must be accompanied by an adult

POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER

  • NOVEMBER 8: Environmental Art Market

Join us on Museum Plaza on Friday, November 8 for a free environmental art market featuring various creators, makers, vendors and organizations that are committed to sustainable practices and environmental impact. 

We are keeping an eye on the weather for Friday. The Market may be postponed or cancelled due to weather.

For more information, email wdavis4@uwf.edu.

POSTPONED DUE TO RAIN

Blue Trees Collaborations

  • The Pensacola Children's Museum will host these educational programs at 11:00 a.m. during Foo Foo Fest:
    • November 8: Just 4 Fun: Found Objects
  • Visit the MESS Hall during Foo Foo Fest for tree inspired science. In conjunction with The Blue Trees: Environmental Installation, the MESS Hall will feature activities on the science and math of trees. Visitors will classify trees and measure them, create trees with just one cut, and contribute to building a fractal tree, among other activities. 
  • Enjoy a special Foo Foo Fest Big Jerk Soda while you are immersed in the Blue Trees: Environmental Installation

Blue Trees: Environmental Installation FAQ's

To learn more about The Blue Trees: Environmental Installation, watch how Chattanooga, Tennessee came alive with blue trees.

Want to learn more about the importance and benefits of trees to our community see Lyssa Hall: Trees for People-Cultivating Human Habitat from CivicCon, June 1, 2020. Courtesy of CivicCon.

What is The Blue Trees?

  • An environmental art installation by artist Konstatin Dimopoulos.
  • The Blue Trees takes an urban landscape with which you are familiar and changes it into something surreal, unfamiliar, even uncomfortable.
  • It is an ephemeral artwork. The water-based color will slowly degrade off the trees, or it can be manually removed using water.
  • The Blue Trees uses repetition and mass as part of its artistic vision. 

Is it paint?

  • It is not paint. The colorant used on the trees has been developed specifically for this project.
  • It is a biologically-safe pigment in a water base.
  • It is safe for plants, animals, insects, humans, and waterways.
  • The chalk-based colorant has no binding agents and has been used for more than 20 years on Blue Trees projects around the globe.
  • Classified non-hazardous by the Australian National Occupational Health and Safety Committee.
  • The colourant can be removed by washing the trees down with water using a medium-pressure hose.
  • Retested in 2023 for safety. The colourant is free of heavy metals and continues to be eco-safe and non-hazardous. 

Why the color blue?

  • The artist created the blue pigment because there are no naturally blue trees. The installation is intended to foster awareness and discussion about environmental sustainability and deforestation. 

How is the pigment applied to the trees?

  • The trees are coloured with brushes and rollers on extension handles.

 How long does the pigment last?

  • The duration of the color depends on the type of tree, bark, and rainfall from 8 to 18 months depending on those factors

 Are the trees on City property?

  • The trees along Zaragoza Street are on City of Pensacola property.
  • The trees in Museum Plaza are on UWF Historic Trust property. 

Who is Konstantin Dimopoulos?

  • A conceptual and installation artist based in Australia.
  • His art is grounded in his sociological and humanist philosophies.

What is Foo Foo Fest?

  • Foo Foo Fest is a 12-day celebration each fall, with culturally creative happenings, events, and moments under one banner, attracting visitors to beautiful Pensacola.
  • 2024 is the 11th year of Foo Foo Fest. 
  • This year, Foo Foo Fest, is October 31-November 11, 2024.
  • Foo Foo Fest kicks off annually with the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival (now in its 51st year!)
  • Plan how you will Foo Foo this year. Escape the Ordinary this November!

What is a Foo Foo?

  • A "Foo Foo" is an impromptu musical band known to come together on late 19th-century sailing vessels, consisting of members from the ship's crew.