Kawishiwi River AARON SQUADRONI

Kawishiwi River

AARON SQUADRONI

ON DISPLAY OCTOBER 6 – NOVEMBER 11, 2017, COMMUNITY GALLERY

Artist Statement:

“The Midwest is presently a battleground for resources. Fracking, oil pipelines, mining, and drilling are just some of the expanding industries in this region. In states like Minnesota and Wisconsin where the rugged beauty of the land is part of the state’s identity, these new industries create strong conflicts between environmental and industrial stakeholders. In northern Minnesota, the Duluth Complex is a geological formation bordering the Mesabi Iron Range and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It contains one of the largest untapped copper‐nickel deposits in the world. Industry representatives estimate that the new sulfide mining district could eventually exceed Minnesota’s iron ore industry in size. The issue of whether or not to establish sulfide mines so close to a protected wilderness known for its pristine water is a passionately debated topic on the Iron Range.

‘The Kawishiwi River flows over the Duluth Complex, and is at the center of the region in contention as mining companies are in the process of obtaining permits and conducting environmental impact studies in order to mine the area for copper, nickel and other precious metals. The Kawishiwi River series is a collection of copper drawn land portraits. These land portraits record a history of landmarks and sacred spaces based on traditional legends, government treaties, current disputes, and future visions. My intention is to create continuity where great changes have occurred in the landscape or are likely to occur in the future. Each portrait merges an image of the landscape with a symbol or object from the landscape. This catalog of imagery is meant to heighten public awareness about how the future of the Kawishiwi River will take shape, while simultaneously preserving its identity in the past.

‘Copper has been contained in the rocks of the Kawishiwi River for many thousands of years. It is now highly sought after by mining companies. Using copper as a drawing meduim is important to me in this series because of its role in the history of the Kawishiwi River and its impending impact on the river’s future. Copper also has a certain delicacy due to its lack of value range. The resulting lightness of the drawings require the viewer to approach close to the image. A narrative of the Kawishiwi River is revealed slowly and formed from a series of intimate exchanges between the viewer and the artworks.” – Aaron Squadroni