Apocalypse now.
To my hometown, my city of origin. We are in great danger. I grew up in Salt Lake City, on the foothills of Mt. Olympus with a view of the Great Salt Lake. My father and mother were Tom and Virginia Judd. They were community leaders and Dad ran for congress in 1964. His grandfather was Heber J.Grant, President of the Mormon church for 27 years. So my past and family history lives in this valley. I went away to art school in Philadelphia in 1973 and I’ve been living there ever since.
Every year my family and I visit Salt Lake City and I still very much relate to this place as my home, where I came from, the heroic mountains, the desert valley and the silver horizon line of the Great Salt Lake.
In 2022 I read an article in the World Economic Forum about the danger of the Great Salt Lake drying up, dying. There are many reasons why: over development and growth, the needs of the agriculture industry and the drought conditions that have plagued the area for years. But here is the thing, the real problem is not enough water is being allowed to make it to the lake to sustain it.
You can have your opinions, you can make it a political issue, you can pretend it’s not really happening, but there is only one solution.
All parties have to get serious about what we are going to do to divert enough water to our lake to sustain it.
I’m not a scientist, I’m not an expert, but the facts are pretty clear. I have an expression, “You can’t fool Mother Nature.” We are not going to talk our way out of this one. We have to take action that will significantly alter the reality on the ground, and deliver enough water to the lake so that it might survive, so that we might survive this impending ecological disaster. Think Chernobyl, think Three Mile Island, this is what we are dealing with. A devastating climate of toxic wind storms poisoning the population and ensuring the collapse of the economy and lifestyle of this entire region.
The question is always: What can I do as an individual? For me it is: How can I make a difference with my artwork? Working with Modern West Fine Art, the gallery that represents me in Salt Lake City, we have organized and curated an exhibition titled “Lake Effect”that will open Jan. 19. The participating artists will be myself, Al Denyer, Diane Tuft and writer Terry Tempest Williams. The exhibit will talk about the aforementioned challenge and be a call to action.
The most shocking thing for me about all of this is the lack of urgency being expressed. Why are there not massive demonstrations in the streets? We only have five years! We are looking down the barrel of a shotgun and talking about it like it’s a minor inconvenience. The lack of real leadership is frustrating and inexplicable given the reality of the situation.
To quote John Kennedy, “If not us, who? If not now, when?”
Tom Judd, Philadelphia, Pa.
