Hetch Hetchy 10

Water is Life. In these times of climate crisis, we must acknowledge the harm committed to the land and to the original people who stewarded the land.

For over a century, a sacred body of water known as the Hetch Hetchy has been the lifeblood of the Bay Area, providing clean drinking water and sustainable electricity to the city. The name we use today is derived from the Miwok word hatchhatchie, which means “edible grasses.”

The Hetch Hetchy Valley was once a stunning wilderness stewarded by Native communities. The Paiute people referred to the valley as Iyaydzi. Before it was destroyed to become a reservoir in 1923, this great meadow was full of oak trees, grass, and deer.

The valley's forced transformation sparked controversy and activism. Despite the fact that it was protected land within Yosemite National Park, plans to dam and flood Hetch Hetchy were approved by Congress in 1913. This inspired an international environmental movement to preserve and protect exceptional landscapes.

I created various artworks about the Hetch Hetchy as I was developing a public art project for the San Francisco Water Department which aimed to tell the history of water.