1998

Gregory Gavin | River in the Hood

River in the Hood emerged as the response to the following two questions, as posed by Gregory Gavin: 1. Could the elemental experience of running water possibly compete with mechanized and mediated experiences such as television, recorded music, shopping, movies, video games and computers to capture the imagination of a low-income neighborhood? 2. Can a theatrical representation (rather than a scientific replica) of a river teach environmental education? Gavin turned his studio, in San Francisco’s Portola neighborhood, into an interactive, winding 100 foot-long river representing California ecosystems from the Sierras to the Pacific Ocean, from August 29 through September 19, 1998. The river began on top of a rainy mountain and ran down the center of a gradually descending “bar” complete with stools and acounter along both sides of the water. Visitors to River in the Hood were given the opportunity to create collaborative art works such as landscapes, boats, river gods, and bridges, out of sand, wood, and recycled materials.

Janelle Rodriguez | White Snow

White Snow: The Dirty Truth About Environmental Cleanup was a documentary that uncovered theshocking truth about the environmental cleanup industry in California. The hard-hitting film investigated why mostly undocumented Mexican workers are doing the “dirty work” for major corporations and the United States Government. White Snow premiered at the Sixth Annual Cine Accion Festival ¡Cine Latino! and was shown at film festivals and universities across the United States, and at the new Latin America Film Festival in Havana, Cuba. As a result of White Snow, the Environmental Protection Agency launched an investigation into the hazardous waste disposal industry in California. The film also has been used as a local organizing tool, and several San Francisco-area environmental groups have since formed a coalition to do activism around the issue. Additionally, White Snow continues to be used in training classes for Latino laborers.

Valerie Soe | Poetry in Action

Poetry in Action was created to raise awareness of environmental racism while giving bus-riding participants a forum for sharing and commenting on their personal experiences with the issue through the creation of a series of collaborative bus posters. The project gave voice to the diverse and varied ridership of San Francisco’s MUNI buses, many of whom are affected by discriminatory environmental practices. It also made use of an underutilized forum for public expression by placing creative works on public transit. Poetry in Action had two components: 1. Interior bus advertisements, installed on the lighted display above the seats on MUNI buses, described the causes and effects of environmental racism. Riders could then remove and use pre-addressed, tear-off postcards to compose short limericks, haikus, sonnets, free verse, or other literary expressions to articulate their experiences with environmental racism. 2. A panel of judges selected the most creative and proactive entries, which were used to produce a second set of posters. These posters were installed in MUNI buses in January 1999 for the benefit of all ridership.

JURORS for this year were: Keith Hennessey, performer; Rupert Jenkins, curator, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery; Pamela Lu, poet and author; Christine Pielenz and William Laven, co-directors, Potrero Nuevo Fund.


images (l to r): photo (detail): Gregory Gavin (1998); image (detail): Janelle Rodriguez (1998); image (detail): Valerie Soe (1998)