Water Spirit
Artist: Sarah Kavage
An array of site-responsive temporary sculpture installations, collaborations with other artists, and thoughtful events that are rooted, literally and figuratively, into the specific landscapes of the participating AWE Centers.
The sculpture builds and events took place in 2021, and most artworks are still available to visit. Contact the AWE Centers at the locations below for details.
Locations
About
Water Spirit is a far-reaching project led by artist Sarah Kavage, an artist, urban planner, researcher, observer, and writer. Her work draws on community organizing, spans long time horizons, and takes in a sweeping view to frame the examination of systems, ethics, and landscapes. Her dramatic gestures are humanized and given depth by the intimacy of individual interactions and unexpected encounters. Water Spirit includes an array of site-responsive temporary sculpture installations, collaborations with other artists, and thoughtful events that are rooted, literally and figuratively, into the specific landscapes of the participating AWE Centers.
Each sculptural installation is designed by Kavage and built by her with support from various collaborators as appropriate to the structures; including builder Rob Zverina, engineer Justin Spivey, and artists Adria Garcia (grass braiding at Bartram's Garden and Mill Grove), Aymar Ccopacatty (reed boat-building at Independence Seaport Museum), and Yaroub Al Obaidi (mudhif-building at Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education). The specially-designed artworks bring attention to the natural features of that land; most are built with locally-sourced plant materials.
The physical art is meant to be a confluence point for communing with nature, culture, and community on a local level. Events, collaborations with other artists, discussions, and performances created in collaboration with local artists including Misty Sol, members of indigenous groups, and others created a cross-pollination of ideas, nourished people's bodies with nature-time, and connected folks more deeply with the flowing spirit of the water.