Think About Water
An Ecological Artist Collective
Think About Water is a collective of ecological artists and activists who got together to use art to elevate the awareness and discussion of water issues. Created by the painter and photographer Fredericka Foster in early 2020, the collective was intended to celebrate, as the organizers describe it, “our connection to water over a range of mediums and innovative projects that honor this precious element.” Think About Water is a call to action that invites viewers to a deeper engagement with the artwork.
In her work, Lisa Reindorf combines knowledge from architecture and environmental science. Her paintings examine the environmental impact of climate change on water. In aerial-view landscapes, she creates interpretations of coastal areas, in particular rising seas.
The collective’s first group exhibition is titled Think About Water. Curated by collective member Doug Fogelson, the exhibit was presented in virtual space through an interactive virtual reality gallery. Artists included the exhibit were Diane Burko, Charlotte Coté, Betsy Damon, Leila Daw, Rosalyn Driscoll, Doug Fogelson, Fredericka Foster, Giana Pilar González, Rachel Havrelock, Susan Hoffman Fishman, Fritz Horstman, Basia Irland, Sant Khalsa, Ellen Kozak, Stacy Levy, Anna Macleod, Ilana Manolson, Lauren Rosenthal McManus, Randal Nichols, Dixie Peaslee, Jaanika Peerna, Aviva Rahmani, Lisa Reindorf, Meridel Rubenstein, Naoe Suzuki, Linda Troeller, and Adam Wolpert.
Fredericka Foster has been painting the surfaces of moving water in their infinite variety for years. She believes that painting, using tools of color and composition, can be an aid to societal change: “Art accesses another way of knowing, and it takes both rationality and emotional connection to create lasting change.”
Artist and naturalist Ilana Manolson finds herself drawn to the edges of swamps, ponds, rivers, and oceans. “As water changes, it changes its environment whether through erosion, flooding, nutrition, or drought. And what we as humans do upstream, will, through the water, affect what happens downstream.”
Linda Troeller is interested in water as a healing power. Bad Gastein, Austria’s thermal waterfall, was first referred to in writing in 1327 as “medicinal drinking water.” According to Troeller, “It is very fresh, crystal-clear—the droplets contain radon that can be absorbed by the skin or through inhalation or from drinking from fountains around the town.”
Rosalyn Driscoll writes of her work, “I explore the terrain of the body and the Earth by making sculptures, installations, collages and photographs that connect people to their senses, the elements, and the natural world. My interest in bodily experience and sensory perception led to making sculptures that integrate the sense of touch into their creation and exhibition.”
For more information about the collective and the show, visit www.thinkaboutwater.com. Images courtesy of Think About Water and the individual artists.