For over ten years, Sam Van Aken has been growing and grafting fruit trees in the creation of the recognized artwork The Tree of 40 Fruit, a single multi-grafted tree that grows 40 different varieties of stone fruit. His work has been featured in media outlets including the New York Times, CBS This Morning, the National Geographic Channel, Atlas Obscura, Epicurious, CNN, and more. Van Aken receieved his MFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Art at Syracuse University.