Artist In Residence | Gifts From the Earth: An Exhibition by Phoebe Tran Opening Reception

We are pleased to present Gifts from the Earth, an exhibition by Phoebe Tran as part of our 2026 Artist-in-Residence program (A!R), presented by Ace Hotel Brooklyn × Field Meridians. Gifts from the Earth is a living apothecary exploring our relationships with plants as sources of medicine, memory, and care. Guided by the ethos of Vietnamese folk medicine, the work approaches healing as knowledge cultivated through close attention to the landscapes we inhabit. In dialogue with the Potawatomi teachings on the gift economy shared by botanist and writer Robin Wall Kimmerer in Braiding Sweetgrass, the installation asks: what changes when we understand the natural world not as a resource, but as a gift? The apothecary itself is made possible through a network of relationships. Working alongside land stewards and artists, Tran brings together contributions rooted in a shared reverence for the land. Like the mycelial networks beneath the forest floor, these relationships make visible the interdependence behind what we grow, make, and receive – and challenge the idea that any act of creation happens alone. Throughout the duration of the exhibition, the apothecary will evolve as a site of reflection, gathering, and exchange. Visitors will be invited into practices of medicine-making and knowledge-sharing, where reciprocity becomes part of the work itself.