New Exhibit Opens at the Waterworks Museum

The Metropolitan Waterworks Museum, the nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Boston’s water science and engineering legacy, announced today the opening of a new exhibit entitled Thinking about Water: Artists Reflect.

Timed to coincide with the United Nations' celebration of World Water Day on March 22, the Waterworks invites you to reflect on our most precious natural resource—water. The artists brought together for this show take a deep look at the intrinsic beauty of water, and consider the impacts of climate change and global warming that threaten the drinking water of so many across the globe.

Executive Director Barbara Elfman said, “We are thrilled to have put together this special exhibit for visitors to the Waterworks Museum. Water is at the heart of our museum’s legacy, and it is a serious part of community conversations now. Climate change has made us all more aware of water as a global resource. This show is a moment to really think about its importance, both yesterday and today.”

The exhibit in the Waterworks’ Overlook Gallery displays 20 original works that center on this common theme, looking at water from many points of view. The show includes works by Diana Arcadipone, Isabel Beavers, Cheryl Clinton, Laura Fischman, Mags Harries, Trintje Jansen, Jaclyn Klein, Jacqueline Mancini, Judy Mason, Katherin McVety, David Mussina, Anne Neely, John Redick, Karin Rosenthal, Nan Rumpf, Jeannie Simms, Sarah Slavick, Elaine Spatz-Rabinowitz, and Sherley Soraya Wijaya.

Guest Curator Lauren Kaufmann noted, “While reviewing art for the exhibition, I was struck by the number of pieces that portray water’s calming effect and reflective beauty. I was thrilled to receive work that shows local success stories, such as the Boston Harbor cleanup. And, I was struck by pieces that focus on the environmental changes that are affecting water—drinking water [as well as] the oceans that are home to fish and other sea life.”

A reception for Thinking about Water: Artists Reflect will take place on March 22 at 7pm and is open to the public. The exhibit is on view in the Museum’s Overlook Gallery from the evening of March 22 until June 30. The Waterworks is a free museum, but gratefully accepts donations in support of its educational programming. Private event rentals, as well as pre-booked student and social group tours, are also available for a fee. Please contact the Museum at (617) 277-0065 or by email at Info@WaterworksMuseum.org. Connect with us at www.WaterworksMuseum.org, or via Facebook and Twitter at the handle @MetroWaterworks.

About the Waterworks Museum

Opened in 2011, the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum uses its architecturally magnificent building, mammoth steam pumping engines, and the adjacent historic Chestnut Hill Reservoir to interpret unique stories of one of the country’s earliest metropolitan water systems. Through educational programs and exhibits focused on engineering, architecture, urbanism, public health, and social history, the Museum connects these stories to current issues and future challenges.

Dubbed “The Cathedral of Steam Technology,” the facility served originally as the high service pumping station that delivered clean, public drinking water into the heart of 19th century Boston. Built in response to the Great Fire of 1872, the Waterworks was the nexus of a complex supply and delivery system that included reservoirs, aqueducts, water towers, and other facilities that eventually became part of the Metropolitan Water Resources Authority.

The museum preserves the three original, coal-fired, steam engines that pumped millions of gallons of water each day into Boston. The historic building, designed in the Romanesque style of H.H. Richardson, was built by Boston City Architects Arthur H. Vinal in 1888, and enlarged by Edmund March Wheelwright in 1897. The structure was constructed near the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, part of the pastoral park and carriageway originally designed by the Olmstead brothers’ landscape architecture firm. Turn of the century engineer and microbiologist George C. Whipple, later co-founder of the Harvard School of Public Health, and chemist Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a pioneer of water quality testing, are among the notable contributors to the Waterworks legacy.

Today, the museum serves as a community hub for audiences interested in the rich history of the Waterworks system. Thousands of visitors are welcomed each year for lectures, tours, and exhibits with no admission charge. Our education department partners with students and teachers for enhanced, curriculum-connected programming focused on water science, engineering, and sustainability. A dedicated group of volunteer docents, many retired engineers, historians, and scientists, guide visitors through the building and collections spaces. Private event rentals are also available. For more information on the history and program offerings, please visit the museum’s webpage at www.WaterworksMuseum.org.