©2024 GG Christensen. Please do not use image without permission from the artist.
Photos by Abigail Brown
7 x 7 x 16 inches
Maple, pine, and balsa wood, magnets, acrylic paint, mineral oil and varnish, printed cardstock
In Collaboration with Amy Kowalski, Extension Lakes Program, UW-Stevens Point
Be My Neighbor was created in collaboration with the Extension Lakes Program at UW-Stevens Point. The piece aims to teach us how to be a good neighbor to our bodies of water. There are many ways big and small in which we can assure the safety of our water and those who call it home. There are many neighbors big and small who rely on the water we live by. The house-like structure reminds us that more than humans call these spaces home. The piece is interactive and invites the viewer in to learn more.
The neighbors inside were hand carved from balsa wood and treated with mineral oil. The house was constructed of maple wood and the stilts it sits on are pine. The fishing poles were made of pine. The house and its contents are all made of natural materials. It was completed on the isthmus in the woodshop of UW Madison. The subjects and statements about how to be a good neighbor were selected and written by the Extension Lakes Team. Treating these neighbors right can have especially positive impacts on the health of our shared water. The piece was made with education and participation in mind.
Welcome to the neighborhood!
- Grab a fishing pole and pull down one magnetic neighbor.
- Grab the corresponding card to learn what you can do to be a good neighbor.
- Then, paste your card in the correct space on the mural to help us complete the big picture! Feel free to do so more than once if you’d like!
Thank you for being a good neighbor,
GG Christensen and Amy Kowalski
ABOUT THE ARTIST
BIO
ABOUT THE WATER PARTNER
Amy Kowalski is a Communication Specialist with the Extension Lakes program in the College of Natural Resources at UW-Stevens Point. Amy creates and edits many of the printed and digital materials for several Wisconsin Lakes Partnership programs including the Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention, Lake Leaders Institute, Citizen Lake Monitoring Network, Clean Boats, Clean Waters Watercraft Inspection program, and Healthy Lakes & Rivers Initiative. She has worked with student artists (composers, voice-over artists, graphic designers) in the past to enhance water messages to professionals and citizens and is excited to be part of the FLOW project into the future!”
https://www.facebook.com/wilakespartnership
MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH SUPPORT FROM
