Run Dry, multi-media project, 2015 - 2016
Funded by the California Humanities Community Stories
What does clean water bring us and why should we tell the story of its loss? Functionally, without water, we cannot drink, bathe, cook or clean. Essentially, it is indispensable for empowerment, health, dignity and economic security. Water is a human right, yet 10% of the world’s population, mostly living in rural areas, lives without safe water. While globally we use 70% of our water resources for agriculture and 10% for domestic use, catastrophic droughts are devastating parts of North and South America, Africa, China and Southeast Asia, worsening universal access to water. Run Dry, through personal stories, investigates the significance of water and reveals the systems of power that govern water distribution. The projects addresses how water is accessed and resourced, what systems govern water resources, how they have developed over decades, and how they impact human well-being today. Audiences will learn specifically about the water crisis in Central California as a model for understanding how race, class, migration, water policy, hydrology and agricultural history combine to create this crisis.