Wool and Water Art Exhibit

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY)

MARCH 6 - APRIL 12, 2023- Gallery talk with Michale Glennon and Carolyn Twomey, Monday, March 6, at 4:30 p.m.Wool and Water is a collaborative data art project that blends fiber art with scientific information to create visual representations of changing water quality conditions in New York State’s Adirondack Mountains and neighboring Lake Champlain Basin. Created in association with the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Clean Water Act, the aim of this project is to showcase the legacy of protecting clean water in the region and beyond. Knitting, crochet, weaving, and other fiber arts are used to illustrate concepts and trends related to our waterways and to provide inspiration for their protection.

Michale Glennon, Plankton, crocheted wool, 2022Plankton highlights the issue of nutrient pollution in Lake Champlain and its impacts on plankton communities. It is based on a study by Bockwoldt et al. (2017) that found reduced phytoplankton and zooplankton diversity associated with increased cyanobacteria in Lake Champlain.

More than 30 works in the exhibition highlight water-related concepts and stressors ranging from the basics of lake stratification and turnover to the impacts of pollutants on aquatic life. Several pieces illustrate major research and monitoring subjects of the Adirondack Watershed Institute and the Lake Champlain Basin Program, including road salt contamination, aquatic invasive species, and climate change.

The Clean Water Act is the primary vehicle for the protection of water quality, and its object is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the country’s waters. The Wool and Water exhibition is a visual and tactile reflection on the successes of this 50-year-old legislation and the work that remains to safeguard our water resources.

has been funded by an agreement awarded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program. Funding has also been provided by the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership and Northern New York Audubon.

Most pieces in the exhibition were created by Michale Glennon, Senior Research Scientist for the Adirondack Watershed Institute, but the growing collection now includes works by more than 10 additional artists and makers, including SLU visiting assistant professor Carolyn Twomey. In relation to the exhibition, Dr. Twomey and students in her spring HIST 213 / ENVS 215 Global Environmental History course will interpret modern and/or historical water data through fiber art or a creative expression of their choosing.

Carolyn Twomey, Icing In on Mirror Lake, rug hooking, wool on linen, 2022The pattern of lines of this hooked rug represents the increasingly late formation of ice on Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, New York. The colors represent different weeks from November 16th to January 4th when the ice freezes solid for the rest of the winter, as recorded by the Ausable River Association. Each individual color-coded line represents the ice-in date for one year from 1903 to 2022.

The exhibition also includes the 20-foot Paleo New Normal Tempestry from the Tempestry Project, in which climate data from the past 2,021 years is knitted in rows from blue (cooler) to red (warmer) to illustrate the long-term increase of average global temperatures.

More information, on how to visit on their website.