AUSTIN, TX.- Artist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and national bestselling author
Tiffany Shlain announces the installation of her celebrated sculpture Dendrofemonology: A Feminist History Tree Ring along with the worldwide premiere of her iterative film Where Are We?! at the Austin Central Library on October 27, 2026. Dendrofemonology is a moveable monument that aims to spark dialogue and galvanize attention on women’s rights, which began as an installation on the National Mall in 2023.
Where Are We?! is a film project that began four years ago and has screened worldwide, with the latest version debuting live at the Austin Central Library on October 27 along with a digital release made available for screenings nationwide. Shlain’s work places women’s rights in the larger context of history while exploring what she argues is needed to ensure continued progress for women’s equality.
“Most people don't realize women still don't have equal rights in this country,” states Shlain. “In a year when so much is at stake, we are thrilled to bring together art and action at the Austin Central Library. As an artist and author, this location is especially meaningful as we see efforts to ban our freedoms with both books and our bodies. This is a critical time in our country and I am looking forward to bringing this project to Texas, to let women there know we are with them. We are here.”
On October 27, Shlain also invites people around Texas and all Americans to host their own screening events by distributing the newest edition of Where Are We?! simultaneously to the screening in Austin to anyone who would like to host their own watch party. The film will be available at
letitripple.org/texas along with three other of Shlain award-winning short films Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (Sundance film, 13 mins), A Declaration of Interdependence (4mins), and Unstoppable (3 mins).
Tiffany Shlain working on DENDROFEMONOLOGY
MOVEABLE MONUMENT: AUSTIN CENTRAL LIBRARY
On October 27, 2026 Dendrofemonology will be installed at the Austin Central Library inviting visitors to engage with the artwork and explore themes related to women’s history, equality, and civic life. The installation at the Austin Central Library, its first appearance in Texas, offers an opportunity for reflection and conversation about women’s rights and how social and cultural change is recorded, remembered, and interpreted over time.
October 27, 2026, 5-7:45pm
The Gallery at Austin Central Library
710 West Cesar Chavez St
The 2026 National Tour of Dendrofemonology kicked off in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of women’s rights in the United States and was on view all summer at the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Housed in the historic Knitting Mill building in the heart of Seneca Falls, the Hall of Fame honors the women who have shaped the nation, sparking a resonant dialogue with Dendrofemonology, which charts the history of humanity through a feminist lens and underscoring how women have shaped world history. With each progressive installation, Shlain continues to contextualize contemporary conversations within the broader history of the women’s rights movement and invites visitors to consider how that history may continue to evolve.
DENDROFEMONOLOGY: A FEMINIST HISTORY TREE RING
Dendrofemonology: A Feminist History Tree Ring is a 65-inch reclaimed deodar cedar wood sculpture that offers a timeline of humanity through a feminist lens, mapped against the concept of trees bearing witness to history, as a new kind of monument for the 21st century that by its very nature, being made from wood and not granite, will change and evolve. The sculpture explores an important narrative about where we started as a feminist culture, how far we’ve come, and how far we still have left to go.
The timeline starts 50,000 years ago, with text hand burned onto the tree ring using pyrography, documenting how society has gone from women having power in ancient civilizations to the spread of patriarchy, women securing the right to vote, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. The last entry on the timeline is “Today:” serving as an open-ended invitation to reflect on how what we do today will influence what’s recorded next.
11. TiffanyShlainDendrofemonology8-26-26
A moveable monument by design, Dendrofemonology embodies a philosophy of adaptability, community, and universality that aims to inspire, educate, and seeks to inspire reflection and conversation about the history and future of gender equality while memorializing the push and pull of women’s progress. Previous installations include the National Mall in Washington D.C, where its 2023 debut installation on included a program featuring Wonder Woman’s Lynda Carter, #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, activist Dolores Huerta, and TV host Padma Lakshmi; Madison Square Park in New York City; 21c Museum in St. Louis, Missouri; di Rosa in San Francisco featuring a keynote event with Speaker Emerita of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and most recently in Seneca Falls, NY at the Wesleyan Chapel where the women’s rights movement started in 1848, and now at the Women’s National Hall of Fame. Each installation has provided a new setting for community engagement and civic conversation.
WHERE ARE WE?!: THE FILM
In parallel to the Dendrofemonology work being created and shown around the country, Tiffany Shlain directed a 15-minute short film Where Are We?! Oct 27th, 2026 in Texas and around the country, will mark the premiere of the fourth update of this film that explores both the creative thinking behind the work and shows highlights from each stop. This award-winning film has screened at film festivals in Berlin, Mumbai, Tokyo, Paris, and more. With each installation stop and art activation the film gets updated. A completely new version will premiere in Austin, Texas at the Austin Central Library and around the country on Oct 27th. DEPT PR_TS AUSTIN TX
PARTNERS
The Dendrofemonology: A Feminist History Tree Ring’s moveable monument journey has been supported by Dr. Nancy O’Reilly of Women Connect4Good and Dr. Piraye Yurttas Beim, founder of Celmatix. The artist identifies additional partners including the ERA Coalition, Vote for Your Daughter, and many others.
3. Ancient Wisdom at diRosa
TIFFANY SHLAIN
Tiffany Shlain is an interdisciplinary artist, activist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, national bestselling author, and the founder of the Webby Awards. Shlain’s practice spans sculpture, film, writing, and public activation, exploring the intersection of feminism, philosophy, technology, neuroscience, and nature. Shlain’s work has been shown at The Museum of Modern Art, the de Young Museum of Fine Art, the Sundance Film Festival, and US embassies globally. Her awards and distinctions include selection by the Albert Einstein Foundation for their Genius100 list, the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Intellectual Activity, and inclusion on NPR’s list of best commencement speeches.
Shlain has had multiple premieres at the Sundance Film Festival, including her acclaimed documentaries on reproductive rights Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness (2003) and interdependence, Connected (2011). Her book 24/6: Giving up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity, and Connection received the Marshall McLuhan Outstanding Book Award. She is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. She has been writing a monthly newsletter Breakfast @ Tiffany’s for more than 30 years. tiffanyshlain.com @tiffanyshlain
9. 350A9371
THE GALLERY AT AUSTIN CENTRAL LIBRARY
The Gallery at Austin’s Central Library offers a dynamic space for showcasing a wide range of contemporary art, featuring rotating exhibits from both local and national artists. With a mission to make a meaningful impact on Austin's creative landscape, the gallery enhances access to diverse art forms and presents exhibitions that celebrate a variety of identities and interests. As a free public venue, the gallery offers high-quality exhibitions while serving as a key destination for arts, creativity, and educational programs in the city.
