Milwaukee Water Commons’ artist Melanie Ariens
Melanie Ariens, a mixed-media artist from Greendale, Wis., raises awareness on freshwater issues through her pieces on the Great Lakes. Ariens has a degree in painting, drawing and printmaking from UW-Milwaukee. Off the Cuff caught up with her in her studio at Wisconsin Arts Lab to hear about her upcoming project.
What is your role as artist-in-residence at Milwaukee Water Commons?
They use art to capture people's heart around water issues, and I coordinate art activities for pretty much everything that they do. I organize a big event called “We Are Water.”
Is that a yearly event?
Yes, this will be the seventh year and it’s a beachfront celebration of water at Shore Park, and it happens at dusk. We do a big installation in the sand using 500 submersible lights we put in cups of water. It's like a multi-cultural, inter-arts event. We have musicians and poets and drumming. We've worked with the Native American community and the Latino community. This year, it will be on Sunday, June 28.
Tell me more about your work in the community.
I worked with Acosta Middle School last spring on a long-term project with their art and science classes as part of the WaterMarks project; that was nine pillars under I-94. We did a whole water inquiry all semester, kind of how water touches the students’ lives, what they want their community to know about water. It led up to the design of the mural, and at the end, it was like a big bunch of crazy paintings.
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Can you still go see the pillars?
Yes; they are on Sixth Street and Washington Boulevard.
Tell me about the recycled materials that you use.
I am a big curb-picker and Goodwill scrounger and hardware store fan. I've made wall pieces of the Great Lakes out of recycled denim. I have a Great Lakes piece called Suck made out of 12,000 compostable drinking straws. It's for all the things we do to the Great Lakes that “suck.” This green color reminds me of the algae contaminant in Lake Erie from agricultural run-off.
Why did you choose denim?
Well, because it's blue, and some of it has to do with the amount of water that is used in the manufacture of textiles; it's insane. Which is why we have to back off from fast fashion.
How do you feel art could impact the climate crisis in a positive way?
I think it can make the issue more visible. Artists can distill issues down to a visual image that may have impact on people. I like to play off simple metaphors. My denim piece is called Tattered; it's kind of about the Great Lakes getting a little beat up.
What have you learned from the Native American community?
They don't see water or the land as a commodity or something to pollute. They honor the water, and their lives are more rhythmically interconnected to the environment, and there's just so much we can learn about how to care for the water and respect it.
What are you working on, now?
I'm working on a piece for the HIR Wellness Center; they do trauma counseling in the Native American community. They are moving to some beautiful new offices on the Potawatomi campus here in Milwaukee. They invited me to do a painting celebrating the Great Lakes Water Walkers. This piece is of the late Grandmother Josephine Mandamin, who is a famous Native American woman from Canada who walked the shoreline of the Great Lakes more than once to bring awareness about caring for water.
To see more of Melanie Ariens’ portfolio, visit ariensmelanie.wixsite.com/mariens.
