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Stewarding our Water Resources: Solano Artists Create, Collaborate, and Educate Arts Benicia received a 2023-2024 Creative Corp Capital Region Grant, funded in part by the California Arts Council and the Sacramento Office of Arts & Culture. The grant focused on the southern quartile of Solano County: Benicia, Vallejo, Fairfield, and Suisun. Rio Vista was also included in the first exhibition. Our media campaign featured original artworks and educational exhibitions across Solano County, including displays on SolTrans regional buses. Our creative process included six focused meetings: Solano Water Stories Kickoff ExhibitionLocation: Arts Benicia, Showcase Gallery Commanding Officer's Quarters 1 Commandant’s Lane, Benicia, CA 94510 November 18 – December 17, 2023 Opening Reception: Saturday, November 18, 4 – 6 pm Solano Water Stories Kickoff Exhibition presented the history of water, water conservation, and climate change mitigation practices in Solano County. Designed for all ages, it included information about indigenous history, Solano County history, and current urban, rural and agricultural land and water use as well as ongoing conservation practices. It featured a pop-up library and reading room, original artworks, personal water stories, a poetry corner, watershed maps, water distribution maps, videos focused on site specific water education, sustainable gardening, permaculture, and photographs of protected species and their habitats in Solano County. Additional information was gathered from our partner organizations: Sustainable Solano, Solano Resource Conservation District, Solano Land Trust, and the Solano County Water Agency. Shaw’s intention with this interactive exhibition was to facilitate a deeper understanding of the climate problems facing the upcoming generation in Solano County and the solutions that may already be partly in place, upon which they can improve. Solano Water Stories focused on Solano County water conservation in the face of climate change and promoted community engagement, sparking hopeful discussion about our sustainable future. Mary W. Shaw, Curator, Exhibition Design Shaw is a studio artist, exhibition designer and arts and environmental educator, was identified to work on this project because of her previous work on an exhibition on the history of water and water issues and for her extensive exhibition design experience. She has many years of art education experience with adults, children, and teens in the public schools and over 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector, developing successful education and volunteer programs. She created an educational display on the history of water and water issues in Solano County and was the liaison with Sustainable Solano, Solano Land Trust. Solano Resource Conservation District and the Solano County Water Agency. Mary Shaw Tells Solano Water Stories Click on the links below for partner information and for additional content from the Solano Water Stories kickoff exhibition. Artists in the Solano Water Stories Kickoff Exhibition Akiko Suzuki Lawrence H. Buford Janet Barnes Jean Purnell Mark Brest van Kempen Video and Partner Links: Sustainable Solano Contact: Allison Nagel Co-executive Director Supporting Community Gardens Elements Of a Food Forest Garden Creating a Drought Resilient Oasis with Soilogical Designing with Nature, an Introduction to Permaculture with Michael Wedgely of Soilogical Solano Resource Conservation District: Solano RCD Contact: Sarah McKibbin Resource Conservation Project Manager Watershed Explorers Field Trip Creek Biomonitoring Program for High Schools Solano Land Trust Contact: Samuel Adams Communications Specialist Farm to Community Food Program during the Covid Pandemic Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space Jepson Prairie Vernal Pool Landscape from Bay Nature Magazine Rush Ranch Lynch Canyon King-Swett Ranch Farmers of Solano County Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation (Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space) The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation is a sovereign nation. The people have lived on lands today known as Yolo, Solano, Colusa, Lake and Napa Counties. Our informational content about the Yoche Dehe Wintun Nation was through our association with Solano Land Trust. Solano County Water Agency: SCWA Contact: Elise Shtayyeh Associate Water Resources Specialist Water Efficiency Programs, including:
Water Distribution Systems: North Bay Aqueduct The Solano Project Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District Contact: Emily Corwin Senior Environmental Engineer Solano Stormwater Alliance Manager Educational Programs and Public Outreach Resilient and Green Master Plan Fairfield Coastal Cleanup 2023 Casa Education Foundation – California Association Of Sanitation Agencies Scholarship Program Andrea Solis Internship FILM: WIND, WATER, LAND directed by John Beck was commissioned by the City of Benicia in 2015. The artwork in the film was not part of this Creative Corps grant but Shaw included it in the Kickoff Exhibition because it is a great example of the way artists worked together to create a public artwork about sustainability specifically in Benicia, a well-known artist community. Benicia Herald article. More Solano Water Stories
WATER PODCASTS Place and Purpose Talking Under Water Waterloop Words on Water Sea Change Circle of Blue Wildbound Live (video) Walk with Obi and Wade (American Naturalist Obi Kaufmann and CA Secretary for Natural Resources, Wade Crowfoot) PODCASTS: Place and Purpose Talking Under Water Waterloop Words on Water Sea Change Circle of Blue Wildbound Live (video) Walk with Obi and Wade Solano Water Stories Exhibition Kickoff Walkthrough |
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