Water Stories

Water Stories: River Goddesses, Ancestral Rites, and Climate Crisis was an exhibition exploring the deep connection between climate change and our experience of water, held at the Johnson Kulukundis Family Gallery at Harvard Radcliffe Institute from September 18 — December 16, 2023. Centering on the Global South, where communities disproportionately face the impacts of climate change and bear the legacy of colonialism, the exhibition provides perspective on water not as a commodity but as a spiritual, life-giving force.

Featuring traditional paintings alongside contemporary works by artists from around the world, Water Stories highlighted water’s profound cultural and religious significance, especially within Indigenous communities. These artworks invite visitors to reflect on their own relationship with water and to appreciate its diverse meanings. Through myth, ritual, and modern artistic expression, the exhibition illuminated water’s pivotal role in both environmental and social histories. Drawn from the collections of the Harvard Art Museums and the Peabody Essex Museum, as well as featured contemporary artists, Water Stories encouraged all to consider how reverence for water can inspire a more respectful, sustainable relationship with our planet—while also acknowledging the complex, ongoing effects of colonialism and environmental injustice.

A companion website documented exhibited works and published essays and visualizations related to climate change. It also enabled vistiors to submit their own water stories. Users can browse the submitted stories using a map and a word cloud.