Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts (MoFA) has opened "Water Ways: Indigenous Ecologies and Florida Heritage," an exhibition examining Indigenous relationships with water through historical artifacts and contemporary art. Curated by Elizabeth A. Cecil, the show features works by Harold García V (El Quinto), Samboleap Tol, and Wilson Bowers, alongside ancient cypress dugout canoes, ceramics, tools, and a mask from the New Orleans Museum of Art. The exhibition runs from September 18, 2025, to March 14, 2026, with accompanying events including artist talks, a symposium, and a book club.
The exhibition matters because it reframes water not merely as a resource but as a living relationship within Indigenous ecologies, while addressing pressing environmental issues like water access, ecological change, and climate resilience. By connecting Florida's Indigenous heritage to parallel traditions across the Americas and Asia, the show highlights how communities have long understood and responded to living with water, offering a timely perspective on commodification and extractive economies.