Bayfield Woman Collects Peoples’ ‘Words For Water’ On Lake Superior’s South Shore

A Bayfield woman is taking photos of people posing with words that reflect their thoughts on water as part of an art project.

Mary Dougherty has been reading words in laws and ordinances that dictate development as it relates to water in northern Wisconsin — development such as an iron mine that’s been proposed in the Penokee Hills. She says a disconnect exists between how people value water and the laws that impact it.

This fall, Dougherty set out with a chalkboard and a camera and created an art project called “Words for Water.”

“We just took people’s pictures with their words for water. No dialogue,” said Dougherty.

Dougherty said she’s collected around 200 photos from people along the south shore of Lake Superior. She plans to gather words from people along the north shore and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

“The people that live and care about the lake are in essence stewards of a global resource. As such, we need to act like it,” she said.

Dougherty said she hopes the photos, which she has posted online, will impact how people think and possibly how they vote on issues that affect water.

“All the water we have in the world right now is all the water we have. Lake Superior is a global resource. It’s 10 percent of the world’s freshwater,” she said.​

Photos courtesy of Mary Dougherty.