art serve | 11/30/21 - 11/30/21 | the land of ‘grassy water’ | Pa-Hay-Okee | Fort Lauderdale

Art Exhibition | 11/30/21 – 11/30/21
the land of ‘grassy water’ | Pa-Hay-Okee
Fort Lauderdale

art serve
1350 East Sunrise Boulevard Fort Lauderdale FL 33304
954-462-8190

The initial idea for this exhibition originated from an online panel ARTSail and ArtServe co-organized exactly one year ago in April 2021 titled Understanding Lake Okeechobee: Crucible of Farmland Ranchland and Wetland. During the hour-long conversation we explored the complexities of the Lake O. region addressing some of the social and ecological issues the local communities and natural ecosystem are impacted by today.

Over the past 12 months exhibition curator and ARTSail Executive Director Ombretta Agró Andruff along with resident artist Christina Pettersson conducted expeditions in the region interviewing activists scientists and experts to better understand the threats to this unique ecosystem originally known by the acronym KLOE: the Kissimmee-Lake Okeechobee-Everglades watershed.

Before drainage and canalization efforts started in the late 1880s this entire system originated near the present location of Orlando flowing from the Kissimmee River and smaller streams into Lake Okeechobee and from there in the summer months overflowing creating more streams swamps and marshes all the way to Florida Bay.

Tragically what is left today is a far cry from the rich and diverse ecosystem that first explorers encountered: Ever-increasing population and urban development industry and agriculture have resulted in large metropolitan areas stressing the surrounding natural environments and destroying more than half of the original Everglades. On the upside restoration efforts initiated in 2000 with the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and the tireless advocacy from NGOs and dedicated individuals alike are generating positive effects by restoring the historical water flow and enhancing the protection of biodiversity in specific areas of the National Park and beyond.