Carpenter Plans Water Filter Demo Wednesday As Part Of Ceramic Art Exhibit
9/24/07
By Jenna Kujawski
A water filter press demonstration on Wednesday (Sept. 26) will be held in conjunction with an exhibition called "Potable Art: Ceramic Water Filter Receptacles" at Texas A&M University. The demonstration will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the J. Wayne Stark Galleries patio. All ceramics made at the demonstration will be fired and sent off to the Colonias in Texas.
B. Stephen Carpenter, associate professor of art education and visual culture in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture (TLAC), worked with Catherine Hastedt, gallery director, for the past two years to bring the ceramic art exhibit to Texas A&M.
The exhibit, on display at the J. Wayne Stark Galleries in the Memorial Student Center through Nov. 4, originated with Potters for Peace, a group of artists who create ceramic water filters for people in regions of the world that lack potable water.
"This exhibit is special in that these ceramic art works help bring attention to utilitarian point of use ceramic water filters," Carpenter said. "This exhibition highlights the work of artists who create art and use their skills to help people in areas who don't have potable water. Traveling exhibits like this bring together art and humanitarianism."
The key to the success of their design is that the inexpensive clay water filters can be placed in receptacles and filter almost 100 percent of waterborne bacteria. The filters are coated with colloidal silver, which helps the filtration system work.
"Virtually every continent and every culture uses ceramics, so it just makes sense that potters would create these water filters and receptacles," Carpenter said. "The filters cost between $4-$15 and only need to be cleaned once a year. The longest running filter has run for 15 years," he added.
Ceramic art work in the exhibit is for sale, with monies going to Potters for Peace to help further the goal of creating clean drinking water for nations in need.
"This exhibit is proof that creative approaches to social issues can happen through the help of artists and other interested individuals," Carpenter said.
In addition to helping other countries, Carpenter is partnering with Oscar Muñoz in the College of Architecture to address water filtration issues here in Texas. Muñoz is deputy director of the Center for Housing and Urban Development (CHUD) and is in charge of The Colonias Program. A two-day symposium is scheduled for Sept. 25 and 26 in the MSC that will bring together artistic, community, economic and education leaders to discuss low-tech solutions to provide safe water.
"Almost all of the people without adequate water in the Colonias are Texans," Carpenter said, "so we have an interest as a land grant university to address these issues here at home."
The ceramic exhibition is sponsored by the Stark Galleries, the Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts, and the TLAC department while the symposium is sponsored by TLAC, CHUD, The Colonias Program, The Mexican American and U. S. Latino Research Center, the Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, Joy Pottery and Kappa Delta Pi.
For more information, visit http://stark.tamu.edu or call the gallery at 845-6081.
