Water Ways is a series of collaboratively drawn illustrations telling stories of the impacts that the natural gas industry has on ecosystems, politics, communities and resistance in the mid-Atlantic area and around the world.
I created this illustration in collaboration with my creative partner, Bri Barton, and we utilize it as an educational tool in workshops that explore environmental justice and the fracking industry.
In order to make this project, we interviewed frontlines communities and individual, gathering many stories of those affected by the natural gas industry. We worked with each of the people interviewed to develop their section of the larger illustration and portion of our workshop, allowing for the most genuine storytelling possible.
We use this graphic to tell their stories, which are often repressed in main stream media outlets. We run interactive Water Ways workshops at colleges, community hubs, book stores, parks, schools, and almost anywhere we are invited.
We printed this image on a large fabric banner (seen above) that we use in our workshops and presentations. We have also printed and sold over five hundred paper poster prints, each accompanied by a 12-page booklet that we wrote and designed. The booklet guides the viewer through each vignette of the Water Ways illustration, telling the stories of the characters involved.