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Water | July 2023

Zaria Forman: Drawing Attention to a Changing World

Zaria Forman, a contemporary artist residing in New York, creates astonishingly realistic drawings of arctic landscapes. Her extraordinary talent and methodology have gained her critical acclaim, establishing her as one of today’s most influential artists.

Image of Zaria Forman
Zaria Forman
Photo Credit: Francois Lebeau

Forman uses her fingers and the palm of her hands almost exclusively to create her drawings of quickly disappearing glaciers and icebergs.

Climate change is a central theme in Forman’s art, and she dedicated herself to raising awareness about the urgent need for environmental preservation.

Forman has flown with NASA and traveled with National Geographic Explorer to study and draw her polar subjects. Her work is exhibited worldwide and has been featured on CBS, CNN, PBS and in National Geographic, the Smithsonian Magazine, and Oprah.

You can learn more about her and her work, by visiting her website at www.zariaforman.com, or by following her on Instagram.

Whale Bay Antarctica No. 4
Whale Bay Antarctica No. 4
Maldives No. 11
Maldives No. 11
Maldives No. 11
Lincoln Sea, Greenland
Lincoln Sea, Greenland
Greenland No. 69
Greenland No. 69
Greenland No. 69
Getz Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Getz Ice Shelf, Antarctica

*All content was obtained from www.zariaforman.com and all images are copyright © 2023 Zaria Forman, unless otherwise stated.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Public Health Landscape or Valent BioSciences, LLC.

More from Water | July 2023

Gary White: Making Waves in the Fight for Clean Water

Gary White, Co-founder and CEO of Water.org and WaterEquity, is a visionary leader dedicated to addressing the worldwide water crisis. His commitment originated from observing the severe conditions experienced by communities in Honduras lacking safe water and sanitation facilities.

Committed to effecting change, he arranged a fundraising dinner that generated sufficient resources to provide water to a village. This act served as inspiration for establishing WaterPartners International, presently recognized as Water.org, an organization that has significantly improved the well-being of millions of individuals worldwide.

Clean Water and Sanitation: A Global Report Card

Clean water and sanitation is central to sustainable development and the post-2015 development agenda, with strong linkages to many of the other proposed Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more through the excellent infographics provided below, and do remember to share this important knowledge with friends and family.
Credits: Unilever for World Water Day

Power of Water: Mexico’s Water Warriors

High in the hills of the San Juan Tlacotenco Forest, the worth of water is revealed as nearby villagers make the arduous journey to the Zacasonapan Spring.

For generations, the pilgrimage has been a regular tradition for many who live in the area and rely on the natural water source for survival. A particularly steep and rocky path shows just how treacherous it can be, especially while hauling heavy water jugs on the way back home.

Clean Water: A Basic Need for Health and Survival

Clean water is essential for all life on Earth to thrive. The water cycle is not contained within our countries’ borders or boundaries, which makes it a challenge to monitor, maintain and implement improvements and changes. Ownership of, and access to, this essential natural resource has been at the forefront of many disputes around the world, between neighboring countries and communities, and even countries on opposite sides of an ocean. Across the globe we are observing conflicts, wars and water refugees as people struggle for equal access to what has been widely termed as Blue Gold.

Economies on both a national and local level depend upon clean freshwater and saltwater regions. In theory, a thriving economy has the ability to fund infrastructure projects and provide basic needs for all of its citizens. However, even wealthy countries are struggling to provide sufficient standards of clean water, with each region negotiating its own bespoke complications.