From River to Ocean: Artists Respond to Environmental Impacts

Overview

Located on the campus of San Joaquin Delta College, LH Horton Jr Gallery presents "From River to Ocean: Artists Respond to Environmental Impacts," a contemporary art exhibition that explores environmental issues related to waterways and its complex ecosystems found in various regions of the U.S. With a focus on environmental degradation and the depletion of our most important natural resource, the exhibition presents a myriad of human forces that negatively impact our rivers, estuaries, and oceanic waters that cover over 70% of the earth’s surface.

The work of environmental artists presents an opportunity to engage with the public on this topic through visual language. By breaking down social barriers of access, artists can play a critical role in environmental education and advocacy for a call to action. In addition, marginalized communities are most often affected by degraded environments and climate change, resulting in a concerning social justice issue. In this regard, environmental exhibitions can provide a platform for community concerns that often go unheard and failed by public policy.

While focusing on the human impact on our waterways, works also present the formal elements of design, images of beauty, and solutions for water preservation. The exhibition is meant to build awareness and dialogue with Stockton area communities who are living at the edges of the largest natural estuary of North and South America.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Gallery will present Artists in Conversation with Hughen/Starkweather and Jeffrey Mount, PPIC Water Policy Center, and sponsored by Delta College Cultural Awareness Program.

The discussion will be held at Delta College in the Campesino Forum on October 10, from 2–3pm, followed by the exhibition Opening Reception from 5–7pm.

Oct 10: Artist Talk 2-3pm
Oct 10: - Opening Reception 5-7pm
Oct 11 - Nov 7:
LH Horton Jr Gallery Hours
M-TH 11am-5:30pm
Fri 11am-1pm
Sat Oct 12 11am-3pm

Hughen/Starkweather will be in conversation with geomorphologist Jeffrey Mount. Together they will consider climate impacts on water use and water infrastructure in California and the American West as viewed through the lenses of art, science, and public policy. They will examine how artists and scientists can learn from shared processes, how science and other topical issues can feed an artist’s creative and conceptual practice, and how art can offer unique ways to approach the vast uncertainties of the climate crisis.

Image Credit:

Barbara Boissevain
Ravenswood XII