The blog post below was written by Bayou City Waterkeeper’s current Artist-in-Residence, Asenette Ruiz.
Growing up in Houston, I vividly remember the creek surging next to the mobile home I grew up in during heavy rain, water creeping up the driveway during Ike and Harvey, and running through a flooded parking lot during a storm in high school. These and other experiences witnessing environmental inequities shaped my focus on the environment and centering those most impacted.
Houston, and many parts of the Gulf South, are places shaped by water. El agua reshapes us and transforms us. This understanding is the primary driver behind my artist residency with Bayou City Waterkeeper this year.
Through this residency, I center the key question: How can we make urban flooding & watershed protection more accessible and actionable for Houston and Galveston residents?
During my six-month residency, I am working to develop an art piece that paints an image of how this might be possible. My hope is that this piece invites us to collectively reimagine a more just future, grounded in community voice, data, and artistic expression.
This Place – why focus on water justice in Houston?
Wetlands, watersheds, and bayous are some of our region’s most powerful defenses against climate change and urba
n flooding. Yet too often, they’re erased from our landscapes—cleared for development without input from those of us living here.
Houston’s flooding problem is not just a matter of poor drainage or heavy rainfall; it is a symptom of deeper, systemic issues. Communities of color and working-class neighborhoods are repeatedly the hardest hit. At the same time, many Houston residents lack access to clear information about where wetlands exist, what protections are in place, and how these ecosystems function.
Education, understanding, and awareness are essential to move from a constant climate crisis to resilience … and hopefully, in the long term, thriving. That’s why this residency focuses on storytelling with data and transforming these stories into action.
Guiding Questions
As I designed the proposal for this residency, I returned often to these guiding questions:
- How can art and technology be used to make urban flooding and watershed protection more accessible and actionable for communities?
- What speaks to people the most?
- What resources already exist that can be shared, and what actionable recommendations can be provided?
- What areas are most vulnerable to flood and wetland loss?
- Where have protections worked, and where are the gaps?
- How can we better visualize these connections so people feel empowered to take action?
I plan to return to these questions through every step of the research, design, and community engagement process of the art piece.
Community Data Mural on what does work mean to you?: example of data-centered artistic practice this project’s parallels
As I explore these questions, I aim to center Bayou City Waterkeeper’s values:
- Interconnectivity: Work in collaboration across disciplines and create multiple ways to engage in our work
- Fluidity: Embrace movement and adaptability in our work
- Bold Action: Have hard conversations, disrupt dysfunctional systems, create new frameworks, bring together unconventional allies, and transform data and research into action
- Justice & Equity: Call out inequities in our watershed arising from historic injustices and disinvestments
- Regeneration: Recognize that water is a site for healing, joy, celebration, reflection, and growth
This work is an extension of BCWK’s decades-long commitment to clean water, wetlands protection, and climate resiliency—and I’m grateful for their support and collaboration in making this residency possible.
The Process
Part 1: Start with what we have
I strongly believe in leaning into our strengths and existing resources. In this residency, I’m leaning into my background in data and design, particularly using GIS and data storytelling—skills I’ve honed through my work at trubel&co, a tech-justice nonprofit teaching the next generation how to leverage data and tech for environmental action.
This foundation allows me to build directly on BCWK’s incredible resources, like:
- The Water Justice Zones interactive map
- Their campaign for 5 Critical Wetlands
- The Justice in the Sewers dashboard
Part 2: Community input as key guidance:
Inspired by key practices around community data (particularly those shared in Rahul Bhargava’s recent book – Community Data: Creative Approaches to Empowering People with Information), I’m designing this art piece to be community-informed and guided. To accomplish this I designed a survey and zine inviting community members from across Houston and Galveston to share their thoughts, stories, and dreams through writing, audio, or visual expression. These submissions are being integrated directly into the final piece—not as add-ons, but as central components of the story.
Part 3: Serving as a bridge:
One of my main goals for this residency is to serve as a connector between the technical resources that exist and the people and communities who deserve access to them. The resulting art piece serves a dual purpose of both demystifying water justice efforts and activating community members to get more informed and involved.
Part 4: Amplifying BCWK’s work
The project uplifts and brings visibility to BCWK’s policy campaigns, existing tools, and new strategic initiatives. For example, most people don’t realize that 60% of Houston’s waterways are currently unsafe for recreation (I most certainly did not until I learned about this during a BCWK policy webinar)—a reality that should galvanize both policy change and public engagement.
What the Final Piece Looks Like
The result of this residency is a community-informed, artistic data visualization that weaves together research, maps, and lived experiences. It’s not static. It’s interactive and evolving, consisting of:
- A physical art piece display showing flood zones, watersheds, and critical wetlands side by side with community data in the form of visual contributions and artistic interpretations of survey data
- A digital ArcGIS map where visitors can explore data and add their own stories in real time
- A community workshop with opportunities to engage with this art piece, contribute their own insights to the collective digital map, and learn about ongoing BCWK campaigns and how to get involved
Water Connects Us All
At its core, this residency is about connection. It’s about seeing Houston’s water systems not as disconnected infrastructures but as living, breathing parts of our home. It’s about turning data into stories, stories into action, and action into a more just, resilient future.
Through art, we can honor the resistance that exists in Houston, lift up our successes, and imagine beyond our current realities. I am deeply grateful to BCWK and the many community members who I hope will shared their time, stories, and visions with me. Together, we’re building a stronger Houston.
Contribute your perspective to Asenette’s Community Data Mural survey. Learn more about Bayou City Waterkeeper’s Artist-in-Residence program.