Bucks County museum to install all-female art exhibit on the effects of climate change on our waters story by francesca furey
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ith looming fears and anxieties brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak, concerns about climate change or the health of local watersheds might seem secondary. That is an illusion. As Thomas Fuller, a 17th-century physician, wrote, “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in April, Laura Igoe, the Michener Museum’s curator of American Art, and her team gathered artists from the greater Philadelphia region to produce Rising Tides: Contemporary Art and the Ecology of Water, an exhibit designed to highlight the intercon28 GRID P H I L LY.CO M M AY 2 0 20
nectedness of water and humanity. When Igoe searched for artists to feature in Rising Tides, she decided that a local connection was necessary. “I wanted to make sure someone was looking at what was happening locally,” Igoe says. “I think that brings deep issues home for our visitors from the greater Philadelphia region, and it makes these issues more tangible and something they can connect with their daily lives.” Though Earth Day will be long gone once museums’ doors open again—the Michener Museum is closed until further notice due to COVID-19—the celebration of the planet, and this exhibit, will continue to resonate.
N A D I N E R OV N E R
THE TIDE IS NIGH
“Water is fundamental to life,” says Igoe. “It’s everywhere. I think in a lot of ways we tend to overlook or not think too hard about it.” Featured artist Marguerita Hagan believes the pandemic emphasizes that now is the optimal time to take action in the climate crisis. “It’s really time to wake up and work together,” she says. “The virus outbreak really hit hard after all these plans. But, it’s also driving home the absolute necessity of us changing our systems and how we interact and how we work together.” The Rising Tides exhibit prioritizes ecological storytelling through the lens of seven local artists. It brings attention to the reality that as sea levels rise and global warming continues its course, we’ll be confronted with the fact that water can be both our savior and our destroyer. “What I found as I started talking to people in the community … is that many artists that were concerned with the environment are specifically looking at water and water