Smithsonian's Water/Ways Exhibit on View at Lake Hopatcong through August 10
Published on July 25, 2019
Explores Water's Environmental and Cultural Impact on Lake Hopatcong
From above, Earth appears as a water planet with more than 71 percent of its surface covered with this vital resource for life. Water impacts climate, agriculture, transportation, industry and more. It inspires art and music.
The Lake Hopatcong Foundation, in cooperation with New Jersey Council for the Humanities, will examine water as an environmental necessity and an important cultural element as it hosts Water/Ways, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program.
Water/Ways will be on view at the Lake Hopatcong Foundation Environmental and Cultural Center from July 1 through August 10.
Water/Ways will be on view at the Lake Hopatcong Foundation Environmental and Cultural Center, 125 Landing Road, in Roxbury Township through August 10. Viewing hours are 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday; and evening hours Thursday and Friday, from 4 - 8 p.m. The exhibit is free.
Water/Ways explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water's effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality. It looks at how political and economic planning have long been affected by access to water and control of water resources. Human creativity and resourcefulness provide new ways of protecting water resources and renewing respect for the natural environment.Water is an important part of everyone's life, and we are excited to explore what it means culturally, socially and spiritually in our own community, said Lake Hopatcong Foundation Grant and Program Director Donna Macalle-Holly. We want to convene conversations about water and have developed a free public program to compliment the Smithsonian exhibition.
We are thrilled to be the first host site in New Jersey, and excited for another opportunity to bring people into our newly rehabilitated building, which is meant to serve the community in a variety of ways, said Lake Hopatcong Foundation President Jessica Murphy.
Water/Ways is part of the Smithsonian's Think Water Initiative to raise awareness of water as a critical resource for life through exhibitions, educational resources and public programs. The public can participate in the conversation on social media at #ThinkWater.
Water/Ways was inspired by an exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org), and the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul (www.smm.org), in collaboration with Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland; The Field Museum, Chicago; Instituto Sangari, Sao Paulo, Brazil; National Museum of Australia, Canberra; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada; San Diego Natural History Museum; and Science Centre Singapore with PUB Singapore.
The exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, and local host institutions. To learn more about Water/Ways and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org.
Support for MoMS has been provided by the U.S. Congress. The exhibit is sponsored by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.