The exhibit, Biological Regionalism, is all about raising awareness about the increased water contamination in New York’s freshwater bodies such as the Oswego River and Lake Ontario.
Transcript
CAM CORTIGIANO: Water is one of man’s most valuable natural resources, but pollution levels in some of New York’s most
important water bodies have increased. Inside the Tyler Art Gallery at SUNY Oswego, the exhibit Biological Regionalism by Alberto Rey is currently on display. The gallery director, Michael Flanagan, said that one of the main goals is to simply make people more aware of the issue.MICHAEL FLANAGAN: Alberto has done art works about rivers in other parts of the world, including a river in Nepal which is
extremely polluted. I think that, you know, any waterway is vulnerable if people aren’t watching- that’s part of what the exhibit is, making people just aware of water as a resource.CORTIGIANO: We are starting to see some of the adverse effects of water pollution in the Oswego River and Lake Ontario, such as a loss of biodiversity, ecosystems, and native species. If left unchecked, the conditions will only continue to get worse. However, Flanagan say that is it never too late to turn things around.
FLANAGAN: I’ve seen in my lifetime a greater awareness, and I think a reduction in pollution. So, I don’t think it’s ever
really too late at all, and it can’t be. If it becomes too late, then it’s sort of too late for humans, you know, to thrive.CORTIGIANO: The Environmental Protection Agency says that with increased pollution comes more damage to local biodiversity. This is a part of the exhibit, as without healthy bodies of water, it is difficult for ecosystems to be strong.
FLANAGAN: There are some sort of darker images of extinct and endangered plants that Alberto connected with from the collections at Rice Creek Field Station. So, the way those are done with a lot of dark browns and blacks has become sort of a cautionary tale, because those plants are things that very well may not be with us in the coming decades.
CORTIGIANO: Flanagan is hopeful that the exhibit will help to bring more support and awareness to the issue of water pollution, and that people will appreciate it for its uniqueness and beauty. Reporting from Oswego, I’m Cam Cortigiano, N-C-C News.
OSWEGO, N.Y. (NCC News)- The issue of water pollution has become more prevalent in recent years as previously clean bodies of water have seen increased contamination. The exhibit, Alberto Rey: Biological Regionalism: Oswego River and Lake Ontario, on display inside the Tyler Art Gallery at SUNY Oswego is geared to raise more awareness about this meaningful topic.
The director of the gallery, Michael Flanagan, said that it is important to be aware of your local water bodies and be conscious of pollution because it can get out of control if not attended to.
“Alberto has done art works about rivers in other parts of the world, including a river in Nepal which is extremely polluted,” Flanagan said. “I think that any waterway is vulnerable if people aren’t watching- that’s part of the exhibit is, making people just aware of water as a resource.”
The Great Lakes, of which Lake Ontario is one of, is a precious resource for the United States. The five Great Lakes hold nine-tenths of America’s freshwater supply- just another reason why it is important to be informed about water pollution.
Even if the conditions may not be the best at this point, Flanagan said that it is never too late to fix things and that he has even seen an improvement in the amount water pollution in his lifetime.
“I’ve seen in my lifetime a greater awareness, and I think a reduction in pollution,” Flanagan said. “So, I don’t think it’s ever too late at all, and it can’t be. If it becomes too late, then it’s sort of too late for humans to thrive.”
The Environmental Protection Agency has noted a loss in biodiversity in Lake Ontario, which is concerning because contaminated water doesn’t impact just humans. It takes a toll on the entire ecosystem, including the plants and animals that live there.
Rey included this aspect in his exhibit by including images and drawings of endangered plants. These are done in dark colors, something that Flanagan observed could be indicative of the future without changes.
“There are some sort of darker images of extinct and endangered plants that Alberto connected with from the collections at Rice Creek Field Station,” Flanagan said. “So, the way those are done with a lot of dark browns and blacks has become sort of a cautionary tale, because those plants are things that very well may not be with us in the coming decades.”
Increasing awareness and sparking conversation about the topic of water pollution is a start in the right direction, but without making any real changes we could permanently contaminate our freshwater bodies past the point of recovery.