Beresford-Kroeger’s two recently published books, The Global Forest (Viking) and Arboretum Borealis (U. of Michigan Press), bring together ethnobotany, horticulture, spirituality and alternative medicine to reveal a path toward better stewardship of the natural world.

Presented in short interconnected essays, The Global Forest draws from ancient storytelling traditions to celebrate forests' function and beauty. Beresford-Kroeger's revolutionary bioplan proposes how trees can be planted in urban and rural areas to promote health and counteract pollution and global warming. Arboretum Borealis describes the crucial importance and fascinating history of the vast primeval forests that stretch across the northern regions of the planet. These forests enrich the seas with their nutrients, act as a passive ground coolant and comb the air free of harmful minute particulate pollution.

"A dazzling combination of Dr. Quinn, Captain Planet and Pocahantas... Sacred and informative, The Global Forest is equal parts holy book and encyclopedia." —The Boston Weekly Dig

"In prose as rich as the forest itself, Diana Beresford-Kroeger sees trees for all their attributes... and places them squarely at the center of a complex web of nature that is crucial to all species including man."—Roger C. Dower, President, US Forest Stewardship Council

America the Beautiful program events take place January through May 2011.

In May 2011, ICFW presents a series of concentrated educational programs as well as numerous public events, including the ICFW America the Beautiful opening night gala.

America the Beautiful program events include educational programs, exhibits, special events, and performances of new works in music, the performing arts, and film. Program events will occur across the city of Fort Worth.

A list of program events and hosting organizations is online at www.icfw.org and available at Imagination Celebration Fort Worth, 1300 Gendy, Suite 210, Fort Worth, Texas, 76107.

America the Beautiful’s educational programs, museum tours, and performances are designed for public and private school students and teachers, and many will be open to the general public.

Numerous other celebratory events, including exhibits, performances, and lectures, are open to the general public of all ages, in institutions across the city.

ICFW programs rely on volunteer involvement and the generous financial support of donors.

Volunteer opportunities include assisting with school events and opening weekend events; aiding presenters of educational programs and docent tour guides at various institutions; and joining the gala event steering committee.

ICFW’s work has been supported with generous grants and gifts from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the City of Fort Worth, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Texas Education Agency, and The Arts Council of Fort Worth & Tarrant County. Imagination Celebration has received two Chairman’s Extraordinary Action Grants from the National Endowment of the Arts; a Texas Medal of Arts (2005); a Coming Up Taller award from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (2008); a U.S. Department of Education designation as “Outstanding Arts Education Model”; and is a two-time recipient of the top “Arts in Education Organization in the Nation” award from Americans for the Arts.

ICFW seeks additional project underwriting and gratefully accepts donations throughout the year from individuals, corporations, private foundations, and government grants. For donation and sponsorship opportunities, please contact ICFW at 817-870-1141. To donate online, visit www.icfw.org.

The ICFW mission is to transform lives and learning for students, teachers, and families through the creation, production, and presentation of an annual series of innovative programs that inspire learning and creativity in, through, and about the arts.

Imagination Celebration Fort Worth, originally a satellite site selected by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for educational festivals, was established in 1987 as a partnership between the 89,000-student Fort Worth Independent School District and our city’s cultural community. Now an independent non-profit organization, Imagination Celebration of Fort Worth provides arts and cultural programming for students year-round in Fort Worth. Over the years, Imagination Celebration has provided nearly seven million individual arts and cultural experiences for students in every grade level at schools across the North Texas Metroplex. ICFW also designs and presents programs outside the classroom, including the Young Artist Apprenticeship Program, the Debbie Allen Dance Institute, and the Statewide Program for the Deaf.

For more information about this year’s America the Beautiful: A Celebration of Our National Parks, or about Imagination Celebration Fort Worth, please call 817-870-1141, e-mail imagine@icfw.org, or visit www.icfw.org.

For media inquiries and credentials, please contact
Kira Johnson at ICFW (817-870-1141 / Khjohn33@hotmail.com) or
Catherine Kelly at PHPR Inc. (800-776-9720 / ckelly@phprinc.com).