April M. Beisaw, Associate Professor and Chair of Anthropology, is the author of “Taking Our Water for the City: The Archaeology of New York City’s Watershed Communities,” recently published by Berghahn Press. Over 100 Vassar students contributed to the fieldwork for this book, which was supported by Vassar research grants, the Ford Scholars Program, and the Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI). The Mellon-funded Consortium on Forced Migration, Displacement, and Education (CFMDE) is sponsoring a series of campus events associated with “Taking Our Water for the City” for MODfest, including an artist talk, two art exhibits, and an art workshop:

From Requiem to Solace: Artist Talk
Artist Kate McGloughlin will speak about how the devastation endured by her ancestors during the creation of the Ashokan Reservoir influences and inspires her work.

Requiem for Ashokan Exhibit
An exhibit of artwork by Kate McGloughlin depicts the beauty and sorrow inherent in the Ashokan Reservoir.

Surface Tension: Displacement, Archaeology, and Artistry of Urban Water Exhibition
This rotation of the Loeb’s In the Spotlight will feature a small selection of prints, drawings, paintings, and photographs depicting water in New York State, ranging from Sanford Robinson Gifford’s sketchbook (1847), to Charles Sheeler’s painting on glass Steel, Croton (1953), to William Castellana’s contemporary photograph Girl and Fire Hydrant (2014).

Sketching Loss and Remembrance: An Art Workshop
A workshop with Kate McGloughlin creating original work using India ink.