From series titled Trouble at the Lake, mixed media on
matter board, 4”x6” each
Lake Erie has played a
big role in my life. It’s the lake that is
surrounded by once-prosperous, industrial cities. It drew my ancestors like a magnet. As an infant, I lived in an apartment
building in Buffalo, right on the shore of the lake. I continued to live nearby for my first 14
years. When winter, arctic air blasted
across Lake Erie it was the source of amazing snowstorms, and it was the place
of summer of beaches as well. Back then
the lake was terribly polluted, but the EPA and Clean Water Act helped turn
things around. Next, the demise of
America’s heavy industry was a blessing for Lake Erie’s waters. But the disappearance of industry nearly
killed the cities and towns surrounding the lake when jobs vanished. The factories were closed down rather than
upgraded. Then, many of the remaining
jobs were shipped overseas leaving workers adrift.
Lake Erie, and the
working families who live on it shores, have been victims of unbridled
capitalism. The same forces that have nearly destroyed the lake’s waters and
its great cities, is now shutting off the water for poor people in
Detroit. And, this month, the people of
Toledo were not able to drink or use the water due to a toxic algae bloom. The algae bloom is a
phenomenon linked to global warming and agribusiness.
Lake Erie and a city
like Toledo might seem faraway to many Americans, but the lake could be called
the United States’ Canary in the Coal
Mine — or we could say Perch in the Lake. The
health of Lake Erie, and the quality of life of the communities that surrounded
the lake, reflect the overall health of our entire country.
This series of 25 pieces
of 4”x6” handmade postcards is being mailed to some of the artists I exchange
mail art with.
Just got mine today Tofu and I love it -- thanks so much!
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