This series is inspired by the Indigenous resistance to Enbridge oil pipelines that threaten the water and Indigenous cultures and ways of being. My hope is to bring more awareness to the leadership and committment of Indigenous communities to protect the water and inspire others to take action in their own communities.
Water is life.
This piece shows the vulnerability of the Fish Creek watershed and Lake Superior due to the multiple river crossings by the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline near Ashland, WI. Fish Creek is one of the waterways that has experienced extreme erosion due to increasing severe storms within the last few years. For instance, in 2018, the river flooded so badly that it destabalized a bridge crossing Hwy 2 in Bayfield County.
Cotton fabrics, felt batting, machine applique and quilting, and hand embroidery. 18″ x 24″, mounted to stretched canvas and framed in maple shadow box frame. 2024.
This piece shows the vulnerability of the Lake Superior due to the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline which originates in Superior, WI. Also shown is how much of the land-base in Superior is occupied by oil infrastructure including massive oil storage tanks, the Husky oil refinery, and infrastructure for the dozen of Enbridge pipelines that also run in and out of Superior.
Cotton fabrics, felt batting, machine applique and quilting, and hand embroidery. 16″ x 20″, mounted to stretched canvas and framed in maple shadow box frame. 2024.
This piece shows the vulnerability of the Bad River and Lake Superior due to the severe erosion of the meander where the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline crosses the river. Specifically, the piece shows how the river channel has changed through the years using a series of aerial photographs from 1953 (when the pipeline was constructed), 2015, and 2022.
It is a distinct possibility that the next major storm will erode the remaining bank at the meander, leaving the pipeline suspended and subject to the full force of the powerful Bad River. This area is within the Reservation boundaries of the Lake Superior Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and the Band has been in a legal fight with Enbridge to immediately shut down the pipeline and remove it from the Bad River watershed. Learn more here: Bad River Band & Bad River: A Story of Defiance
Cotton fabrics, felt batting, and machine applique and quilting. 11″ x 14″, mounted to stretched canvas and framed in maple shadow box frame. 2024.
Line 5 also crosses under the Straits of Mackinac in two pipelines that are suspended on the lakebed. These pipelines are extremely vulnerable to damage from currents as well as boat traffic and post a huge threat to both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. In fact, modeling has shown that an oil spill in this area would not be able to be contained and would be catastrophic.
Cotton fabrics, felt batting, machine applique and quilting, and hand embroidery.
12″ x 12″ mounted to stretched canvas and framed in maple shadow box frame. 2024.
In 2016 thousands of people from around the globe gathered at the Oceti Sakowin Camp on the Standing Rock Reservation. We gathered in an effort to protect the waters, to protect the lands, and to uphold Tribal sovereignty. We gathered to stop the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. This piece remembers and honors this time by continuing to tell the story.
Cotton fabrics, felt batting, machine applique and quilting, and hand embroidery. 14″ x 7″, mounted to stretched canvas and framed in maple shadow box frame. 2024.