Tonics for Transformation: An Ecosocial Response to Sustain & Support During Wildfire Season was created after the 2021 Rocky Mountain wildfires along the front range of Colorado. Weaving together living gardens and illustrated monographs of herbal allies, this interactive exhibition wove together living gardens, herbal ally monographs, and audio invitations to provide community with tools and educational resources for processing recent grief related to rapidly changing ecology.

In collaboration with Loam, Chelsea Call illustrated six different herb profiles specific to physical, emotional, and psychological support during wildfire season. Living herbs from selected monographs were then planted into recently-burned wood, gesturing towards resilience and the possibility of new growth. Call co-facilitated workshops throughout the duration of the exhibition to support community members in deepening into dialogue and strategies for living in a time of increased wildfires. Audio prompts from workshop content were provided in the exhibition and via the library’s website.

This project was generously funded by the Boulder Public Library Activists-in-Residency Grant from the Boulder Library Foundation.