7000 Oak Trees is a piece of social art by Joseph Beuys that entailed the planting of 7000 oak trees throughout the city of Kassel. Each tree was planted with a basalt stone. In 1982 at Documenta 7, Beuys piled the stones in front of Museum Fridericianum. Each time a tree was planted the pile became smaller. Meant to jumpstart a larger movement, the project relied on the self-initiative of everyday people. As more trees and stones spread throughout Kassel, their presence illuminated the strength of collective actions ability to create enduring change. The project also democratized art in the sense that every contributor became an artist. By alerting the individual to their democratic powers, 7000 Oak Trees provoked said individual to use these powers to improve the world around them.