29
FALL 2023
I
've always been obsessed with water," says Elizabeth
Mackie, professor of art and art history. That obsession,
influenced by her time spent near various water bodies,
has long inspired her work. And no wonder. Water is
ubiquitous, covering 71% of the earth's surface, rendering
visuals of the planet in countless shades of blue. These
days, though, there is an urgency to her art and her desire
to bring awareness to this most elemental ingredient in our
daily lives.
Whether in its absence in some places or its overabun-
dance in others, water manages to wreak havoc around the
world. A warming planet has been blamed for an increase
in the intensity of rainstorms and hurricanes, and the
resulting flooding, while in other pockets of the globe water
is in tragically short supply.
Mackie is not alone in her thinking about water. The
issue has seeped into the studies of professors and their
students across the TCNJ campus.
