Wendy Wischer, American
In Search of Blue Sky, 2023
What may look like a normal bus from afar also is actively recording data about air quality. Pasted on the sides of the bus is the image of blue skies with text over it to get people to think deeper about issues impacting their community. With the data from the buses, it has been found that the lower-income areas are those that have worse air quality compared to those of higher income. These art installations of blue skies with wispy clouds, made by Wischer, are meant to spark conversation about poor air quality - specifically in marginalized communities. The hope is that strength will be found in community, and that by sparking these conversations, people will become advocates for one another. I chose this image from this art installation specifically because the word exhaust can have a double meaning. First there is exhaust from pollution that comes out of cars and buses. The other is to exhaust people, just as people of marginalized communities are exhausted at greater rates given the physical conditions they are put in by the poor air quality around them. This double meaning gives a deeper message to this image, making people think of both the exhaust from the cars into the air, as well as how they are affecting the communities they drive through. Label by Riley Kelley