‘When the River Becomes a Cloud’ Exhibit Opens

An innovative, collaborative exhibit by artists Amanda Leigh Evans and Tia Kramer will debut at EWU’s Gallery of Art on Nov. 21.

The exhibit entitled, “When the River Becomes a Cloud / Cuando el Río se Transforma en Nube,” features images and other media created for a multi-year, socially engaged public artwork by Evans’ and Kramer’s DeepTime Collective — a project that seeks to “unearth how we understand ourselves within the interdependent constructs of time, place, community and landscape.”

The exhibit at Eastern began its first stage in 2022 after a 6-month pilot period. The artists collaborated with the Prescott School in Prescott, Washington, to create an “all school” art performance in which 300 students and staff moved throughout the campus to create the appearance of a river. 

Participants wore monochromatic shirts which featured a logo designed by first graders and carried balloons that mimicked water molecules. At the conclusion of the walk, the entire school sat in the shape of a cloud, while a drone captured an image of the performance. That picture was later installed on the outer wall of a baseball dugout at the same field where the performance took place.

“In the water cycle, rain falls onto the hills and trickles into streams, rivers and lakes before eventually evaporating into clouds,” says Evans. “Similarly, each morning, students walk out their front doors, ride the bus to school, and gather in the school hallways and classrooms before returning home at the end of the day. The cycles are mirrors.”

Because the cycles of migration, land use, and nature are important to the people of this region, she adds, the art itself embodies these issues. Much of the art installed at the Prescott school revolves around water, as the Touchet River flows through the school’s campus.  

“This work is a deeply context-driven artwork that reframes and reimagines public art in a rural community,” says Kramer.

Prescott is a rural town in Eastern Washington where many residents are engaged in the production of apples, wheat, and canola. Approximately 80% of Prescott’s PreK-12 population belong to the predominantly Spanish-speaking farmworker community.  

“Until this project began, most students had never seen artwork made by working artists in person,” says Evans. The closest art museum is more than four hours away.

“We wholeheartedly believe that rural students, especially students from low-income households, deserve equitable access to innovative, context-responsive contemporary art education,” Evans says.

This exhibit will be one of three hosted by EWU’s Gallery of Art for the 2024–2025 academic year. 

“I’m thrilled to host this exhibit,” says Joshua Hobson, director of EWU’s Gallery of Art. “I want to make the gallery space more than just a sight for passive viewing. I want it to be a very active space.”

Because much of this work is permanently featured in Prescott, Washington, the exhibit at EWU will feature images of performance ephemera, recreations of the artwork and original pieces created by Prescott students. 

EWU students from the art department have participated in the installation and transfer of work to be displayed in the exhibit.

“This art form does a good job of blurring the lines between authors, producers, audiences, and the art world more broadly,” says Hobson. “The lines defining these roles are torn down. It helps people feel connected and engaged. Art is so flexible.”

The exhibition was funded in part by the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at EWU, along with a Board of Trustees Diversity Initiative grant.  

An opening reception will be held Nov. 21 at noon in the EWU Gallery of Art. Kramer will give a “gallery talk,” speaking more about the collection and what socially engaged art looks like.

The exhibit will be open from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Friday. Admission is free. It closes on Feb. 4. 

“Art is a powerful force in our culture and we need to support it, fund it, see it, and go talk about it,” says Hobson.

To learn more about DeepTime Collective, visit the collective’s website.