Art Exhibit Depicts Sea Level Rise on Hayward Shoreline
Local artist Jennifer Koney has an upcoming exhibit and two presentations about the rising sea level, and how it can affect the Hayward shoreline. The exhibit depicts the 55-inch sea level rise projected from a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) study.
In 2007 Koney started working for the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD) at the Shoreline Interpretive Center near the approach to San Mateo Bridge.
“I fell in love with the shoreline,” she says. “I was asked to be on a 32-agency FEMA study about the possible impact of how melting glaciers would affect rising tides on the shoreline. The study went on for three years, covering Union City to Emeryville. From 2011-2013 they started releasing preliminary numbers. It was the first time I ever read a report and started crying.”
Depending on the scenarios, the projections were not good for our region. The projected sea level rise for San Francisco Bay was 55 inches by the year 2100. If that happens, 80,000 East Bay residents will be at risk of flooding and inundation, she says.
So, Koney, a trained artist with a master's degree from San Francisco State in mixed media installations, started painting as a way to inspire people to think about this uncomfortable topic. She painted large images of ice and glaciers using a resist-and-pour process. She made her painting on actual doors, which were strong, sturdy, and portable. Each one is “human size” and indicates just how high 55 inches really is.
“The paintings have that beautiful glacier blue,” she says. “I wanted to show how the melting glaciers will impact our area. Because the paintings are literally on doors, they also provide a ‘back door’ approach to climate action.”
Koney retired from HARD in 2016 and now shares her art and insights with the public. From Nov. 29, 2022, through Jan. 26, 2023, six of her painted doors will be viewable at the Hayward Public Library, 888 C St., on the second floor. The exhibit is entitled ‘55”-- Images of Sea Level Rise on the Hayward Shoreline.’
On Saturday, Dec. 3, Koney will give a talk on “Art as a Doorway to Climate Activism” at the Hayward Library, from 1-3 p.m. in the Fremont Bank event space on the second floor. Then on Sat. Jan. 14, 2023, in the same location, she and a panel of speakers will discuss climate action from 1-3 p.m. Panel members include Amos White, Founder and Chief Planning Officer of 100,000 Trees for Humanity, and Hayward Environmental Services Manager Erik Pearson. The exhibit and events are free and sponsored by the Hayward Arts Council.
More information is available on Koney’s website, jenniferkoney.com