Water is a powerful, unpredictable element. While it’s essential to life, it also possesses the power to destroy, as seen with the violent floods that hit Iowa in 1993 and 2008, or the recent devastation of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. University Museums’ latest ReACT gallery exhibition is a way for Iowa State students and Ames community members to recognize the role of water through art and respond through action.

“We want it to be an open space to talk about how art and water and Iowa State go together,” said Savanna Falter, intern with University Museums.

“Water” is the second of four themes planned for the ReACT gallery this year. The theme was selected in advance, but the exhibit evolved as different water-related events and disasters occurred.

One event that inspired this theme for the exhibit was the 40^th anniversary of a conference held at Iowa State. In 1977, a Saudi Arabian prince proposed that Antarctic icebergs be used to supply water to his country. He brought an Alaskan iceberg to Ames as part of an iceberg utilization conference, and the event drew national and international media attention. Although the proposal was declined, the use of icebergs as a water source is again being proposed.

“Saudi Arabia is proposing it again, and their reasoning is that the ice is already melting, which is horrible,” Falter said.

An in-depth lecture on this topic will be held on November 15^th at 7 p.m. in Morrill Hall.

Other topics in the exhibit include “Standing Rock,” the fame of Ames tap water, the historic 1993 floods, and the effect of Hurricane Maria. Most of the captions to the works of art were written by faculty and students at the university.

“We really wanted people to react to the pieces while using their own research,” Falter said.

According to Falter, many guests are drawn to Josh Simpson’s piece “Megaplanet”. Made from over 50 pounds of blown glass, the work depicts multiple layers of sky, earth, and water.

“It’s pretty intense,” Falter said. “This piece is especially aquatic, with all the different layers of the ocean.”  

What makes the ReACT gallery different from other University Museum spaces is that the exhibit offers specific ways for visitors to respond to the artwork. On one wall, there are resources for Ames community members to investigate their water usage and conserve water in daily life. The exhibit also contains an anonymous coloring wall where people can express their opinions about climate change. 

The exhibition runs until November 17^th.