March 15 – March 31, 2019
Welcome to a World Water Day Celebration through art. The flow of water
and the environment into the body and then the return of it back to the
environment is something most people don’t think about and take for granted.
Roughly 800 million people in the world do not have access to a safe source of
water for drinking, cooking and bathing. Roughly 2 billion people worldwide do not have proper means for sanitation. The two are intertwined as sewage, if not properly treated before it is returned back into the environment causes illnesses and contaminates water sources taking the lives of people who have no other choice, or don’t even know they’re harming themselves by collecting and ingesting the dirty water to live. You may think of places like Africa, Central America or South East Asia where these problems are occurring, but it is happening right here in Canada. 1 out of 5 Indigenous Reservations in Canada are under boil water advisories. In Ontario 2 out of 5 do not have access to safe water or sanitation. Some Reserves do not have indoor plumbing at all and no flushing toilets. The Canadian Government has been doing a lot of work to correct the issues and have invested a lot of money into infrastructure but a Water or Wastewater system is only as good as the person who operates it because it needs constant attention and specific skills in math and science to maintain the quality of the water or the quality of the effluent of the wastewater. All of these digital art prints are of the City of Guelph Wastewater Treatment Plant and all proceeds from this show will be donated to Water First, an NGO located just
north of Guelph which is providing education to young Indigenous adults to help them obtain the skills necessary to properly operate the infrastructure within their own communities. They recently had their first group of graduates fall 2018 and it was a huge success with most graduates obtaining employment in their communities or some deciding to further their education. If you like the show feel free to make a donation here at Silence, to waterfirst.ngo directly or buy some art. Make sure to take a moment to appreciate the billions of dollars in infrastructure and skilled labour involved in being able to drink from your tap and flush your toilet without you even thinking about it. For some people it’s just a dream.
