Creek by Creek is a collaborative effort by artists Mary Edna Fraser and Jeff Kopish, underscoring the perils of plastic pollution and the importance of protecting the Lowcountry’s unique waterways. Featuring an array of Fraser’s batiks on silk and oil paintings and Kopish’s ceramic and found object sculptures incorporating everything from recycled plastic to actual trash, this exhibition aims to further educate the public on environmental issues through the lens of art, and to remind viewers of the consequences of their own actions within the larger ecological systems of which they are a part.
The artists’ new work, and their ecological concerns, is being presented in concert with three indispensable area groups: Charleston Waterkeeper, the Coastal Conservation League, and the South Carolina Environmental Law Project. Specifically, the exhibition will focus on eight areas of concern: the endangered African American communities of Cainhoy and Phillips, the Beidler Forest Audubon Center and Sanctuary, Captain Sams Spit, Crab Bank, the Great Pee Dee River, Hobcaw Barony, Shem Creek, and James Island Creek.
“My work is not what is important,” says Fraser. “It is the collective work done by all three groups. How they protect what we hold dear… passing the baton to win new battles. This is an environmental activist show to encourage action and counter apathy.”
[Image & Text Credit: City Gallery]
This installation was recently on view March 18 through May 8, 2022 at City Gallery along with 4 videos you can view below: