The “Rooted” art installation on Krentzman Quad will be removed mid-April, the Student Government Association announced in an email to undergraduate students April 3. 

The announcement comes after the Student Government Association, or SGA, voted to remove the art in October 2024 and follows extensive advocacy work from the student body and SGA. “Rooted” was installed in April 2024 as part of Northeastern’s Public Art Initiative and has been extensively compared to the Truffula Trees from Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax.” 

Cicely Carew, the artist who designed “Rooted,” did not immediately respond to request for comment from The Huntington News. 

“After nearly a year of passionate advocacy and hard work, we’re thrilled to share that ‘Rooted’ will be removed from Krentzman Quad in mid-April! This is a direct result of SGA’s work to amplify the voices of concerned students,” Olivia Oestreicher, SGA’s vice president for external affairs, said in a statement to The News, “It’s a powerful reminder that when students come together with purpose, we can make real change — keeping the traditions that make our campus feel like home.”

In a project summary, SGA wrote that “in response to widespread student frustration,” it advocated for the removal of the art installation. “The installation’s placement interfered with a longstanding tradition of taking graduation photos on Krentzman Quad — an iconic space deeply valued by students.”

A survey of 318 Northeastern students conducted by SGA’s Campus Planning Advisory Board found that 68% of students surveyed disliked the art piece, regardless of where it was located on campus. Eighty-one percent of students surveyed reported they disliked or strongly disliked the “placement of the installation on Krentzman Quad.” In April 2024, the same month the exhibit was installed, students circulated a petition that called for the removal of the art installation, which has since gained more than 1,900 signatures.

Additionally, a referendum to establish a public arts committee passed in the 2025 Direct Election with the support of 87.7% of voting students, excluding abstentions. The referendum calls on the university to establish a committee with faculty, administration and student members who would have the power to approve or remove public art at Northeastern.

“To ensure students have a lasting voice in public art decisions on campus — and in response to the overwhelming support for the related referendum question in the 2025 Direct Election — SGA aims to establish a Public Art Commission,” SGA wrote in an April 3 email to students. “This commission will include students, faculty and administrators, giving the Northeastern community a direct and meaningful role in shaping the campus’s artistic landscape for years to come.”

“Rooted” was intended to brighten Krentzman Quad with 15-foot metallic structures that resemble flowers. The installation was designed by Boston-based artist Cicely Carew utilizing garden and construction materials. It is her second piece on Northeastern’s campus, following her mural “What Lies Within” on West Village H. 

“The university did not inform me about these concerns, so I am just beginning to understand the situation,” Carew said in an email interview with Boston.com, “Public art, by its nature, is meant to engage its surroundings and spark reflection, so I recognize that it can evoke different interpretations and emotions.”

The original legislation from October 2024, which called on the university to remove the piece, proposed that the artwork be moved to another location on campus; however, Oestreicher told The News that the removal of the piece will be permanent, to SGA’s knowledge. 

“Thank you, Huskies, for making your voices heard and helping us drive meaningful change,” SGA wrote at the end of the April 3 email.