ArtReach Events Calendar

A House Unbuilt is presenting The Water Where We Live, a unique collaborative exhibition between 13 regional artists and the Brown’s Creek Watershed District from January 24 - April 18, 2024.

The exhibition is a collaborative project organized by Victoria Bradford Styrbicki and the Brown’s Creek Watershed District, with a reception, co-hosted by Megan Miller Fine Art. The reception on March 6 from 4-7pm will feature an arts/conservation dialogue as well as guest speaker Angie Hong, highlighting her new book Exploring the St. Croix River Valley: Adventures on and off the Water. The exhibition will be open for viewing Mondays through Fridays from 10am - 3pm or by appointment at A House Unbuilt’s Art & Water Space (321 Main Street S (second floor), Stillwater, MN 55082).

The Water Where We Live is part of A House Unbuilt’s ongoing water stewardship initiative. Through the work of watershed districts, conservation management, citizen advocacy, and creativity we can raise awareness about the public’s role in maintaining clean water and how we pursue that at higher levels of municipal and state government. To that end, The Water Where We Live will amplify the hidden stories living in our watershed as well as the ways we can protect the water that flows there.

Opening January 24, 2025, A House Unbuilt’s Art & Water Space in Downtown Stillwater will host a unique exhibition featuring a selection of 13 works on paper that have been created in response to stories and descriptions of the unique organisms living in the watershed. Additionally, the Art & Water Space will host a “water bar,” featuring a tasting of regional drinking water sources, as an activity to spur awareness of our impacts on our waterways.

A 2023 Supreme Court decision revoked the Clean Water Act’s power to protect approximately two-thirds of the nation’s wetlands and millions of miles of rain-fed streams. Many states don’t have their own legal protections for these waters. In states with strong laws, polluting industries are taking action to weaken them. According to a March 2024 GALLUP poll, pollution of drinking water tops environmental worries in the US. The National Wildlife Federation suggests our best approach as advocates of waterways is to advance a message of clean drinking water, which will simultaneously amplify the other concerns that people are apparently less worried about, such as pollution of water bodies, contamination of soil and water by toxic waste, climate change, air pollution, loss of rainforests, and extinction of plants and animals. Through this immersive installation and project collaboration, we can have an impact on clean water in our community, raising awareness and changing behavior.

“The Brown’s Creek Watershed District is excited to partner with the local artists to celebrate the community of unique creatures that call this watershed home, “ said Karen Kill, BCWD Administrator. “The Water Where We Live will give people a new perspective, helping to raise awareness about the issues that impact the watershed and how we can support the health and resilience of our waterways.”

The advocacy action of The Water Where We Live is complemented by a Congressional advocacy action, related to Conservation programs in the 2025 Farm Bill.

A House Unbuilt and its Art & Water Space 

A House Unbuilt works at the intersection of arts, policy and engagement along the Mississippi River Watershed. As a collaborative organization, we work with others to move people into action around the issues of art, water, and ecology through creativity. Learn more about A House Unbuilt at www.ahouseunbuilt.com. The Water Where We Live is made possible by the generous support of the Brown’s Creek Watershed District. For more information visit www.ahouseunbuilt.com/watershed. 

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