Watershed: Ways of Knowing the River @ Wild Mile

The Chicago River holds and weaves together a prism of stories. Wherever you

touch it, you touch layers and layers of history, ecology, culture, and art.

The goal of this project is to gather folks from different communities to

experience the river in this holographic way, as a holder of memory, as a

storyteller.

To do this, we’ll run a series of four experiences this summer—three on

kayaks and one on the shore. Each will take place on a different segment of

the Chicago River. During this time, participants will engage with and learn

from community activists, artists, historians, and ecologists about that

specific site and the narratives it holds. The experiences will be interactive

and will include creating art and engaging in community science. We hope that

participants will build community, share their own stories, and leave with a

richer understanding of the ways the river connects all things.

Participants will be given a single kayak, which fits one person, to use for the duration of the program. This program is for ages 14+.

This event seeks to bring together people with a diversity of viewpoints and experiences, which can range from folks who frequent the river to folks who have never been on a kayak before. You will be notified via email to secure your spot.

Your Facilitators

Natasha Mijares is an artist, writer, curator, and educator. She received her

MFA in Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has exhib-

ited at various international and national galleries. Her work has appeared in

Gravity of the Thing, Hypertext Review, Calamity, Vinyl Poetry, and more.

Teresa Dzieglewicz is a Pushcart Prize-winning poet, educator, and lover of

rivers and prairies. She is a Black Earth Institute fellow, a Chicago Poetry

Center Poet-in-Residence, and part of the founding team of Mni Wichoni Naki-

cizin Wounspe (Defenders of the Water School). Her first book of poetry,

Something Small of How to See a River, is forthcoming from Tupelo Press and

her first children’s book, Belonging (co-written with Kimimila Locke), is

forthcoming from Chronicle Books.

Camille "Katahtu'ntha" Billie

Camille "Katahtu'ntha" Billie is a Black Indigenous artist enrolled to the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. She is an alum of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in fine arts with an emphasis in designed objects. Based in Chicago, Camille works at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian allowing her to learn more about the functions of a growing museum alongside her position as a visitor services specialist. Billie's preferred mediums hone in on illustration, linoleum block printing, and stitch work. Her special interests grow around themes of critical ecology in addition to stories and philosophies relevant to her culture and upbringing in Oneida, WI.

Sammie Clark

Sammie Clark is a wildlife biologist studying the beavers of the Chicago River. She aims to understand the relationship of the beavers to the wetlands that Urban Rivers has installed. Originally receiving her bachelor's in fine art, Sammie later continued her education with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, with a focus on marine biology and marine mammals. Sammie plans to begin her master’s program soon, including the Chicago beavers in her research.

The project has received initial funding from Black Earth Institute and kayaks are being generously shared by Urban Rivers.

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