Summary

• New exhibit shows the often overlooked architecture of city water systems using striking photography.
• Features 31 photographs from award-winning photographer Brad Temkin’s book The State of Water.

HOUSTON, TX— Those of us with access to water can rely on the simplicity of turning a knob or pushing a button for a clean, cool and constant supply whenever we desire. But how does our most valuable resource travel from tunnel to tap? What is its journey?

Opening on Feb. 21, the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s newest exhibition, State of Water: Our Most Valuable Resource, showcases the designs and architecture behind the water systems we use every day. The exhibition features 31 photographs from award-winning photographer Brad Temkin’s book The State of Water, published by Radius Books. A native Chicagoan with a passion for capturing overlooked and unknown places, Temkin’s work is also an important tool for conservationists.

“These pictures address the importance of water and celebrate ideas in design, showing the inventiveness in infrastructure and architecture that no one ever thinks about, supporting our need for accommodating nature,” says Temkin.

All images in the gallery were taken in major cities, with nearly a third of them taken in Chicago, where the exhibit was conceived. While the settings may be familiar to city-dwellers, the abstract photographs show the systems beneath the sidewalks. Temkin’s photography puts visitors face-to-face with the systems and techniques that deliver our most valuable resource. In doing so, his work encourages us to see water conservation as a process we can all get involved in.

The exhibition is on display, beginning Feb. 21, 2020, and is included with admission to the permanent exhibit halls. This exhibition was created by Brad Temkin and the Field Museum. State of Water: Our Most Valuable Resource is supported by the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation.

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The Houston Museum of Natural Science—one of the nation’s most-heavily attended museums—is a centerpiece of the Houston Museum District. With four floors of permanent exhibit halls, including the Giant Screen Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center, Burke Baker Planetarium and George Observatory and as host to world-class and ever-changing touring exhibitions, the Houston Museum has something to delight every age group. With such diverse and extraordinary offerings, a trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, located at 5555 Hermann Park Drive in the heart of the Museum District, is always an adventure.