TREE-RING CIRCUS

Forget The Blair Witch Project. Columbia, S.C., has the Palmetto Project, an eye-popping,
city-wide installation showcasing some 89 “trees” decorated by artists, craftspeople
and the occasional school kid.
The work, endearingly quirky and sometimes absurd–one tree takes the form of a giraffe
–is as unexpected in the Deep South capital city as a palm tree in Atlanta.
The spadework for the exhibit was done by local ad executive Marvin Chernoff, chairman of Chernoff/Silver & Associates. He saw Chicago’s infamous cow sculptures and decided the Palmetto State symbol offered even greater creative possibilities.
Chernoff donated the nine-foot steel cutouts around which the trees are built, a gift made
in honor of his agency’s 25 anniversary.
“We want these trees to be a gateway,” said Dorothy Ryall, executive director of the city’s
Cultural Council.