WILLIAMSPORT, PA—A mixed media exhibition, "Toxic Trails: Tracking our Legacy of Military and Industrial Waste," opens at the Lycoming College Art Gallery on March 7. The exhibition, which features a number of artistic installations, documents the envrionmental degradation of rivers and streams in the Pittsburgh area.

The exhibition is the collaboration of three Pittsburgh area artists: Ann Rosenthal, Stephen Moore, and Steffi Domike. Rosenthal will give a gallery talk at the opening reception from 4:00-5:30 p.m. The show runs through March 29 and is open to the public.

"Toxic Trails" parodies a time when within the American industry it was assumed that the standard of living for subsequent generations could only improve. However, as a direct consequence, hazardous wastes were dumped at sites in the U.S. Using cloth, photography, and mock postcards, the project reflects upon this time.

Ann Rosenthal co-chaired the Women’s Caucus for Art National Conference in Seattle in 1993, which included 23 panels and workshops, 7 exhibitions, and numerous special events. In 1995, she joined the Women’s Caucus for Art delegation to the NGO Forum of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing where she co-chaired a panel on environmental art. She has also co-curated a regional exhibition, "Agents of Change: New Views by Northwest Women."

Rosenthal has exhibited her work in various locations across the United States since 1983. She has also participated in a number of traveling exhibitions, and in 2000, she received a grant from Carnegie Mellon University to develop a multidisciplinary art course and participated in an exchange with environmental artists, students, and faculty at College of the Atlantic.

She teaches art and electronic media at Carnegie Mellon and recently accepted a visiting artist position at the University of Maryland.

Stephan Moore has been practicing art for over thirty years. His work explores many experimental art forms and movements. He is a contributing writer and editor for several art publications including Artweek and BOXCAR. He was founding co-director of a pioneering alternative space in Southern California, 58F PLAZA. Recently, he has relocated to Pittsburgh where he is setting up a studio.

Rosenthal and Moore have been involved with nuclear issues since 1982, when they collaborated on a performative art installation in an arts event in Los Angeles entitled, "Target L.A." Working in a group under the name UNARM, they produced a series of "live" art environments addressing nuclear issues from 1982-83. Their interests in social issues and public discourse have inspired them to collaborate on several projects, including art installations, publications, and alternative gallery spaces over the last several years.

Steffi Domike has produced a number of award-winning documentaries that use electronic media to subvert versions of history and the environment. In 1993, she produced "The River Ran Red," which won the CINE Golden Eagle and was voted "viewer’s choice" on Pittsburgh Public Television. Domike is also an active member of the SubRosa Collective for Feminist Artworks and is a founding member of ARCC, a group of Pittsburgh eco-artists. Her work has been broadcasted in the United States, as well as Australia and Israel. She has been the recipient of numerous grants and fellowships.

Rosenthal and Domike have been collaborating on art installations and community-based projects since their first installation in 1998. Most recently, they co-directed "You Are Here," a web of environmental art exhibitions.

There will be a computer set up in the gallery for audiences to view their website. For more information on the Toxic Trails exhibition, visit: http://www.studiotara.net/trails.

Gallery hours during the exhibition are 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; and from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday. The gallery is free and open to the public.

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