Hidden Water

Through research at Michigan State University, the “Hidden Water” exhibit aims to increase public awareness of the connections water has to our everyday lives. For instance, the exhibit encourages visitors to explore the amount water used to produce clothing, a cup of coffee, and other consumer products. This exhibit was created by Arial Shogren and Jay Zarnetske from the MSU Watershed Sciences & Hydroecology Lab in collaboration with the Sustainable Wood Recovery Initiative and the MSU Shadows Collection, which partners with Michigan artisans to repurpose campus trees into handmade, heirloom-quality works of art.

“Water is wildly ironic because it is such an intrinsic part of our everyday lives, but we almost never think about it. The “Hidden Water” exhibit is full of surprises for everyone because it provides a fun way to think about and talk about water both during and long after your visit to the Museum,” said Zarnetske, a professor of Hydrological Sciences at MSU in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

“Hidden Water” is on view through August 2022 in the New Horizons gallery at the MSU Museum.