
Forty years ago, Betsy Damon stepped beyond traditional art to forge a groundbreaking path blending environment, science, community, and creativity. Inspired by the women's movement of the 1970s, she founded No Limits for Women Artists to uplift female voices in the arts. By the 1980s, a cross-country camping trip with her children reconnected her to nature's essence—wind, water, forests, and rain—sparking her seminal work, The Memory of Clean Water. This 250-foot dry riverbed casting revealed the invisible impacts of development on waterways.
This experience shifted her life's focus. 1991 she founded Keepers of the Waters, a pioneering community-based water stewardship. Her projects span from creating China's first environmental public art event to designing the Living Water Garden, a renowned park that doubles as a natural water filtration system. Across the U.S., Betsy collaborates with communities and grassroots movements, integrating art and activism to protect water.
Fueled by curiosity and deep research into sacred water sites and living systems, Betsy's work bridges art and science to illuminate water's profound importance. In 2023, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to develop a sculptural invention that cleans water, uniting creativity and the rhythm of life. Betsy's journey reminds us that water is not just a resource—it's a source of inspiration, connection, and stewardship.
“I have seen so much change, including advances in living standards for millions of people on the one hand and the increasing destruction of the environment. Somehow, we must find a middle path. This is why Betsy wrote this book.”
—Dr. Jane Goodall
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