Water/Ways

* This exhibit is open from August 29 - November 8.

Water is an essential component of life on our planet, environmentally, culturally, and historically. In societies across the globe, water serves as a source of peace and contemplation. Many faiths revere water as a sacred symbol. Authors and artists are inspired by the complex character of water—a substance that is seemingly soft and graceful, and yet a powerful and nearly unstoppable force.

Water also plays a practical role in American society. The availability of water affected settlement and migration patterns. Access to water and control of water resources have long been a central part of political and economic planning. Human creativity and resourcefulness provide new ways of protecting water resources and renewing respect for the natural environment.

Americans are connected to water in ways they may not always realize. And, since water is a shared resource, water connects everyone.

Through compelling text, imagery, interactives, and videos, Water/Ways reveals the central nature of water in our lives. The exhibit explores the relationship between people and water, the centrality of water in our lives including its effect on the environment and climate, its practical role in agriculture and economic planning, and its impact on culture and spirituality.

Water/Ways was developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

It was inspired by an exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org), and the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul (www.smm.org), in collaboration with Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland; The Field Museum, Chicago; Instituto Sangari, Sao Paulo, Brazil; National Museum of Australia, Canberra; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada; San Diego Natural History Museum; and Science Centre Singapore with PUB Singapore.

This exhibit made possible at VMNH thanks to the support of: