Flint Water at What Pipeline

William Pope L, American, born 1955

Flint Water at What Pipeline, 2017

In this artistic intervention, Pope L. and his collaborators purchased water from residents of Flint, Michigan during an ongoing water crisis. The water was labeled and sold in their store What Pipeline and online as Flint Water in bottles marked “non-potable.” Proceeds from the sales went to the United Way of Genesee County (Flint’s county) and Hydrate Detroit. This creative transformation of bottles of water to art objects also became a direct economic intervention in which residents and non-profit aid organizations were compensated. As bottled water, these art objects are also evocative of the ways in which many Flint residents must continue to source their water. Label by Morgan Brittain

Pope L.’s “Flint Water Project'' pairs art with social justice due to the awareness and money raised from the installation. Created in 2017 and based in Detroit, Pope L. collected contaminated water from Flint, Michigan, bottled it up, and sold it in the nearby city of Detroit. The Flint water crisis, which began in 2014 due to government budget cuts, deeply harmed the impoverished and minority community in Michigan as their water was exposed to lead and E. Coli. This innovative art project not only increased awareness and engagement due to its unusual concept, but the proceeds went to United Way of Genesee County in Flint and Hydrate Detroit. Label by Clarissa Cantacuzene

Untitled

Latoya Ruby Frazier, American, born 1982

Untitled, 2016

This photo, appearing in artist and activist Latoya Ruby Frazier’s photoessay Flint is Family, depicts the Flint poet Shea Cobb standing on a bridge above the Flint River. This photoessay is one rooted in both place and people, following Cobb’s family for six months as they grapple with the ongoing water crisis in their city. This particular image highlights the intersecting role of nature, governmental infrastructure, and human beings in the fight for clean water in Flint. The image depicts a bridge, upheld by intersecting girders, over the Flint River, which takes up most of the background. A lightpost and a dead tree in the water, almost parallel to one another, also appear in the image. In the center of the photograph is a singular Black woman, looking up at the camera with her head slightly tilted, as if asking a question. In this image, the various aspects of the Flint Water Crisis all intersect, quite literally illustrated by the intersecting straight lines of the bridge, the supports, the lines on the railing, the river, and the other objects in the photo. The Flint River, the natural origin of much of the dirty water in the Flint, intersects with the man-made bridge, a potential representation of the government’s infrastructure that poses the true threat to the inhabitants of Flint. In the middle of this intersection is a human being, a Black woman and a resident of the city—an indication that any understanding of the water crisis in Flint must focus its attention on the effect that institutional mishandling of nature and infrastructure has on the people in the city. Label by Maxwell Cloe

American Heartbreakers

Desiree Duell, American

American Heartbreakers, 2016

Desiree Duell utilizes art in multiple mediums to strengthen and heal deprived communities. Duell directed “America’s Heartbreakers,” which was a performance that consisted of women dressed in white hazmat suits with a red broken heart on the chest, surrounding the word “FLINT”. The broken heart dripped down the front of the suits, puddling around the crotch. The performance occurred to raise awareness about the impact the Flint Water Crisis had on women’s reproductive health. Many women had miscarriages as a result of consuming poisoned water. “America’s Heartbreakers” had three primary objectives including helping those participating heal, reveal the hidden trauma in Flint, and exhibit how devastating the Flint Water Crisis was on a physical and emotional level. Label by Elsa Rall

Goodbye Gauley Mountain: An Ecosexual Love Story

Beth Stephens, American

Annie Sprinkle, American

Goodbye Gauley Mountain: An Ecosexual Love Story, 2013

This image is a press photo from the film Goodbye Gauley Mountain: An Ecosexual Love Story. The film reflects the critical elements of the sacrifice zone: an abundance of natural resources that are exploited by a powerful capitalist entity that exports the wealth it extracts, leaving the region in poverty; limited visibility of slow violence; and severe consequences to health. At the same time, it highlights the activism that does exist. The exuberant scene set against the background of mountaintop removal destruction illuminates the intersection of environmentalism, queer identity, and artistic expression that guides both the film and the activism practiced by Stephens and Sprinkle. Environmentalism is reflected by the contrast between the stark background scene of the destroyed mountain top. Queer identity, especially where it includes ecosexuality, is represented by the erotic position of the two women amongst the bloom of flowers. Artistic expression as activism is at the core of the film; creator Stephens initiated the project with the intention of calling attention to the hushed exploitation of Appalachia. Label by Hannah London