WATER AS A RESOURCE EXHIBIT 2020

Video Link to virtual tour: https://www.facebook.com/573091739462050/videos/707887083489940 Asia Scudder, MLS Curator Statement for: Water as a Resource 2020: "Art, Activism and the Environment: The Power of Sharing Ideas of Conservation through the Arts" I have held a long-standing commitment to ecology even before my undergraduate pursuit in ecological studies. My primary focus in wildlife biology quickly pivoted to an expanded view on ecological analysis (1981 - 1985). I saw early in my life the importance of community education in all decisions related to the natural environment. My work at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center in Bellevue, Nebraska (1981 - 1985) highlighted this as I helped build curriculum around the environment. In this role I spoke to teachers, held corporate trainings and coupled with school age tours I could see how environmental education broadly related to corporate support and the definitive support of policy decision makers. This became more relevant during my internship with CoPIRG in Denver, Colorado (1983) which demonstrated to me the conflicts in policy making that can arise around resource development within legislative bodies. Overall, this holistic basic foundation demonstrated the absolute importance of connecting and balancing the concerns of multiple stakeholders for enrichment of the natural environment for not one, but for many interests. During my career I have benefited greatly from these previous explorations, working first with the Nature Conservancy on ecological studies (1987 -1990) but then found a new passion in pursuing ideas of sustainability embedded in a landscape design career transferring into my role as an entrepreneur and Owner of “Native Landscapes” (1993 - 2014). More than a traditional landscape company I identified my business as being proactive in education, public speaking and community involvement while successfully implementing strategies for a clean, sustainable watershed including organic lawn care, rain gardens, native plantings - much of which I had learned about in my earlier ecological studies. This led to my being appointed to a City of Norman, Oklahoma committee on the environment, ECAB. Many public speaking opportunities arose based on my expertise on how to build a sustainable yet clean watershed, highlighting several issues relating to the care and distribution of water resources in Oklahoma. This included a series I wrote for Voices of Oklahoma. I continue this work to this day at times consulting for teams in Oklahoma on this topic. . (https://voicesofok.org/2010/01/beyond-the-tap-preparing-for-water-booms-and-busts)/ - I relocated to the East Coast (2012) in order to pursue my art and to be closer to my children who had moved here. But I quickly became aware of the environmental issues that seemed to be of concern for the local community in Amesbury, Massachusetts. It was then that I joined the Ecological Landscape Association and presented this webinar on working with builders (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4-DXPZmNl8). Subsequent to several supporters and suggestions I founded Riverkeepers for the Powow River Watershed - an Associate Member of the Waterkeepers organization. It was with that initial attempt that I was motivated in multiple levels of organization including fundraising through events, grant writing, active social and news media campaigns, sharing news locally as well as connecting the positive work from other communities to our local community in an attempt to bring together an actionable plan for use as a resource for the city of Amesbury, Mass. This activity inspired my being appointed to Mayor Gray’s Quality of Life Committee for the City of Amesbury (2017-2019). In my position I traveled to Conway School in Springfield, Mass to discuss a project with faculty and students in watershed planning, seeing the value in that work as Amesbury expanded its financial and future planning for growth around the downtown area. In an attempt to coordinate a plan, the Conway School set forth the intention of creating participation of industry, politicians, and nonprofits while providing and receiving feedback from the general population in order to lay positive plan forward for urban growth. It was through that exercise that I quickly became aware of local issues - and limitations I had as well. I have been more motivated than ever to maintain those positive relationships and quality communications with local non-profits including the Carriage Museum, the Clean River Project, the Kittery Land Trust, Storm Surge, ACES and many other groups - too many to mention here. In this way I continue to work proactively in connecting to groups throughout the Northshore region to learn more about how they maintain participatory, active community support and involvement. I do see there is great positive potential as I both visit and meet with local changemakers by attending events, posting on my sites regarding local and global stories from those who are working on green solutions for clean watershed management. I am currently committed to the conversation around watershed in my Facebook group, Environmental Watershed Awareness. I would like to share a VR/AR mapping project I am working on with John Craig Freeman on plastics and issues relating to the outward flow of debris from the Merrimack River, our local watershed. The aim is to break down barriers with this informative app while committing to a broader understanding of how watershed stakeholders can create integrated, positive urban planning for enriched environmental well being. My intention with this project is to improve outcomes for our shorelines, our oceans, not only open ocean but also providing a safe and clean environment for our fisheries, ecology of our beaches and our health. Art may be a way to turn justifiable ideas of change with positivity and passion create positive outreach - whether that be through fundraising, education or building a cohesive platform in a clear, substantive, cooperative, and systematic way to help you make a sincere difference in meeting a need for clean, healthy water systems for generations to come. Ellen Asia Scudder, MLS Executive Director, Art. Tech. Innovation. https://www.facebook.com/arttechinnovation/ Environmental Awareness Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/156996935004544/ Visual Artist: asiascudder.blogspot.com CI Works. 11 Chestnut Street. Amesbury, MA. 01913 Cell: 405-826-0181