Joanne Richardson

Landscape view of the curving Mississippi River at Mississippi Palisades State Park, Illinois.

IntroductionJuly 28, 2016

Introduction to Issue Three

This issue of Open Rivers marks several new emphases for us. But then, when it’s only our third issue, there are going to be new emphases, right?

What we have here originates, I think, more from a foundation in scholarly inquiry than some of our previous work. It is less oriented to the Mississippi River. And it was proposed by guest editors, Nenette Luarca-Shoaf and Laura Turner Igoe, who are both art historians.

Ursula Biemann, video still from Deep Weather (2013). Aerial shot of the Northern Alberta oil sands. Courtesy of the artist.

FeatureJuly 28, 2016

Liquid Economies, Networks of the Anthropocene

A constant flow of watery images streams through our newsfeeds almost daily. Videos, infographics, animations, flow charts, and various other forms of visual communication tell us that water is either in excess or retreat, revealing that we have too much or too little.

Seth Eastman, Distant View of Fort Snelling, 1847-49. Watercolor.

IntroductionJuly 28, 2016

Guest Editors’ Introduction to Issue Three

Water is a slippery subject: its visual and material properties spur intellectual inquiry and spiritual reverie; its fluctuating form repels categorization and confounds claims of ownership as it crosses property lines and national borders; and river and ocean currents facilitate commercial exchange along with environmental exploitation.

Aesthetic Criticism Artistic Expression History North America

Detail of 'Otokaheya' (In the Beginning), quilted fabric, Gwen Westerman, artist. Image courtesy of the artist.

FeatureJuly 28, 2016

Depicting the Power of Water in Art and Poetry

Open Rivers guest editors Nenette Luarca-Shoaf and Laura Turner Igoe contacted Gwen Westerman, professor, visual artist, and an enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota Oyate.

Aesthetic Criticism Artistic Expression Minnesota

This trails closed sign warns of wet conditions at Cedar Hill State Park southwest of Dallas were closed Sunday, July 1, 2007. Forecasters said rain was expected to continue in parts of Texas for at least the next 10 days. Weeks of heavy rains have dampened recreational activities across Texas, slowing business at parks and tourist destinations and leaving campsites and hiking trails waterlogged.

The PulseJuly 12, 2016

For African Americans, Park Access Is About More Than Just Proximity

By Brentin Mock

There are many ways to measure park access, but we also need to make a better accounting for the role of historical patterns of racial discrimination. This article examines a case study in Texas.

Citylab

Environmental Justice Planning / Policy Research United States

A photo of a farm with a large mound of soil in the distance.

The PulseJuly 5, 2016

Nestlé, Phoenix water, and the bicycle shed problem

By John Fleck

Water writer John Fleck explains how the proposed Nestle bottling plant in Phoenix is a “bicycle shed” problem, or: “How We Distract Ourselves from Complex Critical Problems By Attacking What We Think We Know About.”

Inkstain

North America Planning / Policy Policy

A solar panel on the roof of a Parisian building. Notre Dame is in the background.

The PulseJune 28, 2016

Towards the Water-Sensitive City

By Gary Grant

With changing climate, demographic patterns, and increasing urban concentration, cities will have to become more “water sensitive” than ever before. This short essay offers some tips.

The Nature of Cities

Civil Engineering International Landscape Architecture Planning / Policy Policy

The PulseJune 21, 2016

Tricks in a Cartographer’s Toolkit

By Lauren Young

We are practically drowning in data, and images/maps offer great ways to convey a lot of data at once. Here are 10 “tricks of the trade” for telling stories with maps.

Atlas Obscura

Education Engagement Geography

The PulseJune 15, 2016

Minnesota Humanities Center

By Staff

The Minnesota Humanities Center, in collaboration with a number of state, local, and federal partners, opens “We Are Water MN” in June 2016. The exhibition and program will travel to six Minnesota communities before closing in April 2017.

Minnesota Humanities Center

Education Engagement Minnesota Public Programs

A child stands in a shallow stream with a small waterfall behind them.

The PulseJune 7, 2016

Sharing the Power in Minnesota Water Stories

By Staff

The Minnesota Humanities Center, in collaboration with a number of state, local, and federal partners, opens “We Are Water MN” in June 2016. The exhibition and program will travel to six Minnesota communities before closing in April 2017.

Minnesota Humanities Center

Education Engagement Minnesota Public Programs