Join exhibiting artists during opening weekend—Jess Benjamin, Dana Fritz, Dylan AT Miner, the Platte Basin Timelapse founders, and Tali Weinberg—as they each discuss their work in From the Great Lakes to the Great Plains: The Visible Currents of Climate Change.
Examining the interrelationship between past, present, and future landscapes of the Great Lakes and Great Plains regions, this exhibition highlights how water remains at the core of all climate change conversations. These two distinct yet interconnected regions—one defined by vast freshwater systems and the other by expansive prairies and riverways—serve as critical sites for understanding the environmental, cultural, and political dimensions of water. Through a diverse range of artistic practices, the exhibition brings together artists who are originally from, currently living in, or who have lived in these areas, emphasizing the urgency of climate-related challenges on both a local and global scale.
Often dismissed as "flyover country," the Great Lakes and Great Plains are, in reality, vital landscapes that reveal the complexities of water’s role in sustaining life, shaping communities, and fueling both industry and ecological degradation. The participating artists engage with these tensions, exploring how water is revered, exploited, protected, and, in many cases, stolen. Their works respond to historical and ongoing environmental injustices, Indigenous knowledge systems, industrial and agricultural interventions, and speculative futures shaped by climate resilience.
Beyond merely raising awareness, the artists featured in this exhibition propose imaginative and interdisciplinary solutions to the water crisis, drawing from fields such as ecology, activism, technology, and history. Their works span a range of mediums and approaches, offering profound insights into the urgent need for collective action in the face of an escalating global crisis. By merging artistic innovation with scientific inquiry and social engagement, they challenge us to rethink our relationship to water and the landscapes that depend on it.
In the exhibition
Teresa Baker Jess Benjamin Nadia Botello Rozalinda Borcila Andrea Carlson* Hoesy Corona Timothy Frerichs LaToya Ruby Frazier Dana Fritz Sky Hopinka JeeYeun Lee Dylan AT Miner Trey Moody John Pfahl Platte Basin Timelapse Asad Raza Karen Reimer Anna Scime Bently Spang Colleen Thurston Tali Weinberg
*Artist-in-Residence