Khalsa has been exploring her personal engagement with water for over 35 years . Growing up on the Hudson in Riverdale , New York , instilled in her an innate connection . “ The water in our bodies is the same water that ’ s in our
rivers ,” she says . “ If people thought about that , water quality would be a much bigger issue .”
Now as an artist , activist , and educator , Khalsa is one of the founding faculty members of the
Water Resources Institute at California State University in San Bernadino where she has been teaching art since 1988 . She researches water quality alongside scientists while her photographs render similar questions of water rights and privilege . Her advocacy and art are
Western Waters installation at ASU Northlight Gallery . © Sant Khalsa , 2012 Courtesy of the artist .
intertwined . By illuminating these issues through her photographs , Khalsa invites us to question our personal relationship with water .
I was raised in a small town in Maine where clean water was always prioritized because it was directly linked to our economy — ecotourism , outdoor recreation , and the fishing industry have kept water quality directly linked to our quality of life . My summers were always spent in lake , river , and ocean waters without worry of pollution .
If an economy is not directly dependent on clean water , would the quality of the watersheds be overlooked ? The transformation of water into a highly profitable resource has overshadowed the necessity of it for personal survival , both creating and contributing to class divisions in the United States and beyond .
With Western Waters , the title not only refers to the geographical location of these photographs , but also western ideas of water and consumerism .
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