Watershed Movements

A pilot interdisciplinary research project exploring how embodied art practices and storytelling can deepen our connection to our rivers and enhance participants’ sense of well-being

A green-striped tent set up on a wooden platform between two canoes, floating by the dock on the calm Raquette River with forested hills in the background.

Research Question

Can storytelling and art help foster a deeper understanding of the direct connection between water health and individual well-being across diverse watersheds?

Why use art and storytelling in environmental research?

Watershed Movements is designed to measure the correlation between perceptions of human well-being and river health, grounded in the belief that engaging people through art and storytelling fosters emotional connection, deepens environmental awareness, and has the potential to shift how individuals perceive their relationship to place and ecological well-being.

Learn about our research methodology
A young woman in a red hoodie gestures expressively while sharing her story with other participants beside the river, with trees and water in the background.