Judy Tuwaletstiwa: Mapping Water

Rather than reiterating the events of a life or merely reproducing images of the artist’s work, Mapping Water is a view into Judy Tuwaletstiwa’s mind, thoughts, and art; expressed in a complex series of sections. The first section, for example, begins with the etymology of the word “genesis”—combined with small paintings that relate (and don’t relate) to various parts of the text, evoking thoughts on the “genesis” of ideas. Subsequent sections continue this exploration with content that varies from an iconic photograph from the Holocaust to a series of images of a dead crow that Tuwaletstiwa dissected and reassembled with stunning and deeply thoughtful results. Throughout the book are Tuwaletstiwa’s own words—haunting and lyrical—that unify all of this material into a provocative and very unique project.

Judy Tuwaletstiwa (b. 1941) is a visual artist, writer and teacher. Her work resides in private and museum collections nationally and internationally. After earning Degrees in English Literature from U.C. Berkeley and Harvard University, she discovered the power of visual art to connect us to the deepest part of ourselves. She has spent her life exploring and expressing this, using different media. 

 As a teacher, she helps people explore their unique creative vision. She writes:

Art has taught me that walls and doorways are the same thing.

Art has taught me that an image can be a transformative gift of healing.

Art has taught me that what we see is only a fraction of what is there.

Art has taught me that the longer I make art, the greater the mystery.