In the Presence of Water

Posted by: Rowan Lyford

Our relationships with water are beautifully complex. Water is a critical resource that supports all life and our interactions with water are multi-faceted and environmentally challenging.

Many people turn to water as a quiet, comforting presence that brings peace of mind during difficult times. However, the stream that soothes can also become the flood that tears through an area.

Water is a carefully allocated and highly political commodity, whose contamination or scarcity can devastate communities. Reservoirs and wells store water for our use and if the water appears clean, we assume purity. A turn of the faucet provides water we readily drink without consideration.

During extraction processes, the purifying flow of water is used for cooling and to remove contaminants. Without a thought, we expect water to sweep away what we no longer want. Without a thought, we assume water can wash away these problems and make them disappear.

Once washed and out of sight, we allow ourselves to forget the interconnectedness of the world and the contaminants still polluting our water.

This exhibit explores our relationships with water and the environmental challenges we face; examining water’s comfort and unpredictability as well as our underlying assumptions on water purity and availability.

Current participating artists: Autumn Bernhardt, Mark Dineen, Justice Greg Hobbs, Basia Irland, Pat Kikut, Rowan Lyford, Dave Merritt, Tom Minckley, Erika Osborne, Johnny Plastini, Eleanor Sabin, Rik Sargent, Laura Tohe.

Edge Gallery is planning to host a panel discussion on art and environmental activism. Each artist will have the opportunity to provide water-related narratives to accompany their work. Takeaways including a list of water education resources and key articles. Informational graphics will be available during the show. Videos and images will be posted on social media.

Contact for questions: Janine Thornton, jmthornton7@msn.com.

This show is organized and hosted by the artist-members of Edge Gallery, a coop gallery in the Denver Metro Area. Our primary objectives are to celebrate individuality and uniqueness, to encourage our shared vision, and to maintain our intensity and integrity in addressing the often contradictory messages occurring in contemporary art.