what makes a river?

what makes a river?

On View Now

Our lives are intimately entwined with the rivers we live near. Whether upstream or downstream, we all rely on the natural flow of water throughout our ecosystems and the health of those currents. The story of Appalachia has long been characterized by land extractive practices such as coal mining and logging. As humans interact with changing landscapes, our rivers have been rerouted, straightened and dammed, hardening off the banks and rendering them undrinkable.

This exhibition highlights work from the Kennedy Museum of Art’s collection that visualizes a human ecology, a water-aware vision of the land around us. As ecologist Li An Phoa says, “The sign of a healthy economy should be a drinkable river.” This exhibition invites reflection on the way we impact rivers and the effect of our watersheds on our lives.

Graduate Curatorial Assistant Aubrey jo Blue

MA candidate in Art History, School of Art + Design, Ohio University