FREE
Auditorium

Canadian photograph Edward Burtynsky will headline this evening dedicated to the incomparable freshwater resources of the Great Lakes. The event will kick off with a talk by Burtynsky, who specializes in images of nature transformed through industry. A panel discussion will follow, highlighting the connection between the Lakes and quality of life for the millions who rely on them for recreation, commerce, drinking water, and spiritual fulfillment.

About Edward Burtynsky

Burtynsky has traveled the world to compile striking images that illustrate the uneasy contradiction between our dependence on nature for the raw materials we consume, and our concern for the health of the planet. His photographic depictions are included in more than sixty major museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Canada, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid.

About the Panelists

Allan Jamieson is a member of the Wolf Clan of the Cayuga People and has worked with numerous Native communities on issues related to water access. He is a founder of Neto, a Native American nonprofit based in Buffalo that started the Buffalo Creek Treaty Canoe Paddle held annually on the Buffalo River.

Sandy Smith Cunningham is an educator from Nichols School in Buffalo whose innovative seventh-grade science curriculum pairs the principles of chemistry, through the lens of the Great Lakes and environmental resources. She has been deeply involved in Great Lakes education and outreach.

Monaem Billah is a senior at South Park High School in Buffalo who has been active in his school’s efforts to educate and inform a new generation about the importance of the Great Lakes and its tributaries. Billah was born in Bangladesh, where rising ocean levels destroyed his village when he was three years old. He and his family relocated to Buffalo last year.

View This Event on the International Joint Commission Website