We Are Here: A Feminist History in Tree Rings

The film We Are Here directed and produced by Tiffany Shlain and Let it Ripple Studio is a finalist in the MY HERO 2025 Film Festival.

Shain’s short film contextualizes a pivotal moment in feminist history while documenting the creative process behind Tiffany Shlain’s moveable monument, Dendrofemonology: A Feminist History Tree Ring. From the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to Madison Square Park in New York City, the monumental work has sparked conversations across the country. It is currently on view in St. Louis as part of the 21c Museum’s exhibition The Future is Female and will travel to San Francisco’s di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in 2026.

Reclaiming Time Through Trees

Shlain has long been fascinated by the giant tree rings displayed at national parks, where slabs of wood are used to chart centuries of history. However, she noticed something striking: the timelines were almost always framed from a patriarchal, colonialist perspective. “They felt like history was being mansplained to me,” she explains in the film. “I wanted a new visual. I needed to create a feminist history tree ring—something my daughters, and all of us, could see.”

This impulse became Dendrofemonology. Using a massive piece of salvaged wood, Shlain burned into the rings a timeline of feminist history stretching back 50,000 years. She began not with the founding fathers but with the worship of goddesses in ancient civilizations, a time when women and men shared equal social status and women often served as healers, shamans, warriors, and lawmakers.

The 32 historical points inscribed on the wood chart both progress and setbacks: the persecution of 50,000 women accused of witchcraft between the 15th and 17th centuries; the legalization of abortion in early America; the belated moment in 1993 when women were finally permitted to wear pants on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Each ring holds memory, resistance, and resilience.

Dendrofemonology: A Feminist History Tree Ring Tiffany ShlainA Feminist Intervention

When Shlain first brought the work to Washington, D.C., she positioned it in front of the Washington Monument. “It felt like a feminist intervention in front of that big phallic symbol,” she reflects. “Finally, we had feminist representation on the National Mall.”

The installation attracted a range of voices, each reflecting on the importance of carving women’s stories into public memory. Actor, singer, and activist Lynda Carter stood at the podium and declared: “In this tree ring, you can see accomplishments that women have made in spite of all the obstacles that were put in our way.”

Author and philanthropist Dr. Nancy O’Reilly, CEO of Women Connect4Good, emphasized the gaps in historical record: “You know, for too long, there’s things that have not been told about women. Stories.”

Zakiya Thomas, President and CEO of the ERA Coalition, tied the work directly to unfinished political business: “For me, that’s the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in Congress in 1972. Fifty years later, nothing. And I’m hoping that the next tree ring moment will be having the Equal Rights Amendment added into our Constitution and sex equality guaranteed across this country.”

And labor leader Dolores Huerta underscored the power of grassroots activism: “So great to be here with all of you today at the Feminist History Tree Ring. The way that we could really make change is to teach people that they have power to advocate for themselves. Then we have the numbers that we can keep democracy alive.”

From Washington to New York

On the eve of the 2024 election, the monument traveled to Madison Square Park in New York City, where demonstrators filled the streets. Shlain’s narration resonated over the crowd: “We are here. We have always been here. We helped create this country. Our history matters, and our monuments should reflect that. This new monument documents where we’ve been and also asks: where do we want to go?”

The film juxtaposes this message with images of the more than 120 women worldwide who have been elected as presidents and prime ministers—pointedly noting that the United States has yet to join that list.

Looking Forward

For Shlain, the tree ring is both a record and a call to action. “Women’s progress, our rights, and the Constitution are definitely being tested right now,” she says. “History often moves two steps forward, one step back, but we are moving forward. We shape what comes next on the tree ring.”

We Are Here ends with an urgent appeal: to fund and support women leaders, to protect reproductive rights, to vote, and to continue the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment.

The monument continues to travel, asking audiences to reconsider whose stories get carved into our collective memory. As Shlain reminds us, the grooves of history are not fixed—they are still being written.

Follow the journey at letitripple.org and through Shlain’s newsletter Breakfast @ Tiffany’s  + @tiffanyshlain

About the MY HERO International Film Festival:

The My Hero Film Festival is an annual event dedicated to showcasing films that celebrate the power of the human spirit. Thanks to generous sponsors, prizes are awarded to elementary, middle school, high school, college and professionals in a variety of categories including documentary, narrative, music video, animation, experimental, and more.

The festival aims to inspire audiences to recognize the heroism in their own lives and encourage positive actions in their communities. Learn more.