For the Love of Water is inspired by the Indigenous resistance to Enbridge oil pipelines that threaten the water and Indigenous cultures and ways of being and tells the story of Line 5 and how it is an example of modern day colonization rooted in racism towards Indigenous peoples. My art also seeks to illuminate more complex connections like how current ICE kidnappings are similar to how Native kids were kidnapped and sent to boarding schools in the not so distant past and how the pipeline industry has direct links to the continued murder and disappearance of Native women.
With the support of an Open Fund grant, this past year I exhibited this series as part of For the Love of Water which is a series of community art events and exhibitions involving the work of Great Lakes artists, including myself, whose work presents a call to action to protect the water. 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.
