Art4Water Sacred Springs Kite Exhibition

The Sacred Springs Kite Exhibition is the inaugural program of Art4Water, an initiative to advocate for environmental protection through the lens of art. The exhibition is a collaboration between Wimberley Valley Watershed Association (WVWA) and Sky Wind World and brings together the art community around our love for Texas’ great springs. For over a quarter century, WVWA has protected and preserved clean, clear flowing water in Jacob’s Well, across the Hill Country, and all over Texas. Through this exhibition, Art4Water, Sky Wind World, and WVWA will raise awareness of the vital connection of water to life. With the Well as one example, “Sacred Springs” seeks to float a collection of groundwater icons in the sky. Art shapes culture, and changes people and communities. Art tells a universally powerful story that communicates the value of water beyond words. The exhibition will be designed to tell the stories of our springs and the value of water. A selection of 20 artworks from among the submissions to this open call for entries will fly as kites in community events and then hang on display in galleries internationally, beginning with the inaugural exhibition at the Austin Central Library in the spring of 2022.

Project Description: We are looking for original artwork expressly for this exhibition that are an extension of the artists’ reverence for Nature and a belief that the right relationship with the Earth and natural systems is essential for the continued health of all life and specifically the sustainability of environmentally sensitive regions in Texas. The artwork must be fairly large and colorful enough to be seen from a distance since all will be made into genuine well-flying kites. A wide border/frame made of ripstop nylon will be added to the paintings in some instances, giving them more square feet of lightweight sail area.

Artwork Goals: Water creates the most magical parts of our world. This is especially true for the Hill Country. We are seeking art that captures that magic. The art should be focused on water in all its forms and the life that springs from it and the efforts to preserve it. Texas is a land of many more than eleven hundred springs. Like the stars at night, the springs that dot the state are too numerous to count. Water flowing underground through rock wells up through faults in plentiful springs, which became the watering holes and the sources of life for early outposts and cities. Today, many are dwindling, drying up under twin threats of climate change and over pumping to serve a bursting population. “Sacred Springs” recalls the reverence of indigenous people and an enduring mystical connection with the source of life. Water falls as rain from the sky, filters into the ground, and emerges later through cracks and openings to form the great river basins. Many Texans drink from the groundwater that powers these springs every time we turn on the tap. As growth and demand for water grows, many of our springs have been lost, draining more than just a piece of our history or a source of water.