In 2017, The Barrow Group held our thirty-year anniversary party. As I stood in the lobby, next to a large blue painting that still hangs in our space, a dear friend came up to me, gave me a big huge smile, and said,
“Lee Brock, you are an aspen tree.”
I think he knew that aspen trees are my favorite.
I said, “No, I am a part of an aspen grove.”
He looked at me and laughed.
The largest aspen grove is the Pando Aspen Clone in the Fish Lake National Forest. The clone weighs thirteen million pounds. The collective root system supports over forty thousand trees. It is one of the world’s oldest living organisms.
Aspen groves share a single root system. This root system is the main life source that supports the trees. The trees in the grove are connected. They are one. A lone aspen tree cannot survive by itself.
One of the values at The Barrow Group is to support and nurture every person who comes through our doors – to elevate artists and help them discover more about themselves and what they can create.
I find when I am helping others learn and grow I am learning more about myself. My students are my teachers. My fellow actors are my guides. We are all connected.
I think of The Barrow Group as a beautiful aspen grove. After thirty-six years of existence, we are over forty thousand trees strong. Let’s keep growing.
– Lee