EVERYONE DRINKS THE WATER

On September 29, 2011 the Environmental Artist-in-Residence Program at McColl Center for Visual Art unveiled the second in four new Environmental Art projects scheduled for completion this year.  Everyone Drinks the Water, an artist-led project in the Lakewood neighborhood celebrates neighborhood environmental diversity.  In this collaborative project, the Center’s Environmental Artist-in-Residence team of Daniel McCormick and Mary O’Brien brought together Charlotte artist Tom Thoune, Lakewood Community Development Corporation, Lakewood Neighborhood Association and Charlotte Nature Museum to create remedial sculptures to improve water quality.  Educators at the Charlotte Nature Museum helped the children of Lakewood learn about creek life and the “ambassador species” in their neighboring Stewart Creek.  Though a watershed approach, the children traced the flow of rain water from their local storm drains to their creek, to the Catawba River and ultimately to their drinking water supply. 

In a series of workshops at the Center, Thoune worked with the children to create messages about the importance of keeping their neighborhood storm drains clean.  They learned how they can contribute to improving the water quality for their neighborhood, and created mosaic sculptures that contained their messages and images.  At a community-wide celebration, the children revealed their creations placed near four storm drains on the grounds of the former Lakeview School. The children’s sculptures aim to encourage neighbors to consider the importance of keeping litter, oil and other waste out of the drains that flow into Stewart Creek. The sculptures will also help remind residents of the fragile ecologies of the neighborhood that they all share.