Knowing the Mississippi
Collaborations & Systems Change
Innovate, change systems, start from our subjectivity, these are among the starting points for Shanai Matteson’s recent reflection on how art grounded in place and purpose can transform lives and communities. Shanai is co-director of the Works Progress Studio, much of the work of which directly involves issues pertaining to water.
Most flooding is not in the floodplain
In Illinois, a state study shows that most urban flooding occurs outside the FEMA-designated flood zone. This counterintuitive fact arises from historical patterns of building and water infrastructure construction and management, which are designed to move water off land and into (aging and deteriorating) sewer systems as quickly as possible.
Women fishers voice concerns about the Tonle Sap in Cambodia
Women fishers in Cambodia are expressing concern about the impacts of dams on the Tonle Sap Lake, an impoundment in the Lower Mekong river delta.
Artists’ plume of color will billow over downtown St. Paul sky
Artistic projects can have important roles in terms of changing the perceptions and assumptions of things we take for granted. Project Plume, beginning in November 2015 and running for around eight weeks, used the plume above the District Energy plant in downtown St. Paul, to call attention to the potential for increasing green energy usage.
Small landscape changes can mean big freshwater gains
University of Wisconsin study finds that small adjustments in agricultural and “working” landscapes can have large benefits in improving water quality.
