Wellspring

A Portfolio of Prints Celebrating Water:

Water is not a commodity but an inalienable right. Clean water is the birthright of all living beings, including those with four legs, fins, and leaves. We cannot separate ourselves from the water on this planet. Just as it moves through each watershed in a revolving cycle of shape-shifting, it moves through us. We owe our very existence to the unique properties of water. The polar hydrogen bonds in water keep us connected and conscious, constantly reflecting what we focus on, whether it’s fear, joy, or love.

Wellspring is made up of 12 original Risograph prints, enclosed inside a hand-printed fabric bandana, each exploring our contemporary relationship to water. These graphic tools are for you, as a human that recognizes that you need clean water to continue to be. These prints can be hung in classrooms, galleries, or anywhere that people gather. The messages can be used for uniting, inspiring, warning, inciting, animating, empowering, invigorating. The graphics can be worn, printed large, projected, folded up and disseminated, or shuttled around social media until everyone realizes that they’re a little thirsty.

The designs in this portfolio do not refer to specific struggles over water. We, too, have been concerned over contamination in Flint and Jackson, shutoffs in Detroit, and droughts in California. We have learned about the Cochabamba Water War, and limitations on Palestine’s water supply by Israel. Salt water has been shed over the destruction of our wells by hydraulic fracturing, and the Pacific Garbage Patch. However, we also recognize that concerns over the safety and access to water have only just begun, and that many more communities suffering through a crisis go unreported and unaddressed.

Even though water has supported our ancestors for millions of years, we can no longer take it for granted. It’s time to think hard about what we put in water, how we use it, and where and how we live. In creating the collection of images in Wellspring, we at Justseeds hope to further the dialogue about this elemental issue. Our hope is that these images will generalize to become a useful buoy in a sea of bad news. We know that this offering is just a drop. Much more will need to be expressed as we acclimate to our role protecting our precious water sources, embodying the hydrophilic, water-loving qualities that created us.