From the early days of the Kumeyaay to people living in San Diego today, the river has ‘many stories’ to tell
The artists toiling away in their studios and workspaces, and the environmental advocates encouraging others to join their work, believe in the power of art to nudge people to care a little more about nature. Locally, that power will be on display during a new exhibition at Grossmont College’s Hyde Art Gallery, “One River, Many Stories.”
The San Diego River Park Foundation and the San Diego River Artists’ Alliance are partnering in this display of the stories of the San Diego River and its ecosystem, with an opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. March 25 (the exhibit is open March 24 to April 24; the artists will also meet with the public again from 2 to 4 p.m. April 10).
“(It) was an idea of the San Diego River Park Foundation to collect the oral histories of people associated with the river when it was very different,” says Rob Hutsel, president and CEO of the foundation. “The foundation wanted to capture those stories, those first impressions, before they were lost.”
The works include acrylic, photography, mixed media, glass, watercolor, oil, fiber arts, and paper, according to a press release. In the gallery’s Patterson Memorial Window space, a series of cyanotype scrolls by Louise Russell—one as the voice of the river and the others as the voices of storytellers—will also be on display. Russell, a photographic artist and retired teacher, curriculum developer, and education software professional, is joined in conversation with Hutsel to talk about the exhibition, their own histories and stories of the San Diego River, and their hope that others will be inspired to keep the river clean and accessible.
For the balance of this article and the interviews, please go here.
