Gouache, graphite, ink, and salt on paper

15.25 x 15.5 x 1

Courtesy of the Artist

This work is from Hughen/Starkweather's series "Pipe Dreams," which explores how engineered systems control and distribute water across a landscape. As water infrastructure becomes more inextricably woven into ecosystems, how might these natural and engineered systems fail or succeed together—especially as climate extremes exert unforeseen pressures? Dam removal can restore rivers, ecosystems, and communities; indeed, the world’s largest dam removal project is taking place along the Klamath River in California and Oregon. *The value here includes framing by SF Art Framing.

Hughen/Starkweather is the collaboration of visual artists Jennifer Starkweather and Amanda Hughen. Their research-based work references places where water meets land, and the increasing pressures on engineered infrastructures interwoven with natural ecosystems in those places. Solo exhibitions include the Asian Art Museum, the Public Policy Institute of California, and the University of San Francisco. Artist residencies include Headlands Center for the Arts, RecologySF, Skowhegan, Ucross, and Yaddo. Recent large-scale commissions include SFMOMA and the Union Square Central Subway station in San Francisco. They are the recipient of a 2020 Individual Artist Grant from San Francisco Arts Commission. Starkweather received an MFA from Tyler School of Art; Hughen received an MFA from the University of California, Berkeley.

Artist Website
@hughen_starkweather