Columbia Basin Project, then and now

MOSES LAKE — An exhibit detailing the impact of the Columbia Basin Project on the landscape of the Columbia Basin will open Friday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center. The opening reception for “Water at Work” is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. at the museum, 401 South Balsam.

“Water at Work – Celebrating Infrastructure and Agriculture in the Greater Columbia Basin” features the photography of first-time exhibitor Brooks Heard. Admission is free.

His photographs of the contemporary landscape are paired with historical pictures of the project as it developed. The historical pictures are displayed courtesy of the Grant County Historical Society.

“I’ve been thinking about images that honor and celebrate infrastructure for 20 years and more,” Heard wrote. “But I first borrowed a camera and made some initial images a couple of years ago.” He showed his pictures to museum director Freya Liggett and she asked about using them in an exhibit.

Heard lives at Trout Lake, at the base of Mt. Adams. “I’m an outsider to your region and to the scale of the agricultural industry within it, but I think an outsider’s view can be refreshing, especially if it lacks a political-social agenda.”

The Bureau of Reclamation is the federal agency in overall charge of the project, and photographers began documenting the project before it was really a project. The museum show uses images shot by five bureau photographers between 1932-33 and 1959.

“The archive held by (the historical society) fills 28 file cabinets and – although no one has a count – probably contains about 15,000 Bureau of Reclamation images,” Heard wrote. “What is most striking about the archive is its overall depth and richness.”

The photos document the Columbia Basin and how it changed over that quarter-century, he said. “The other most striking aspect of the collection is how clearly it represents a sense of common purpose between government, private enterprise and individuals – something that we currently lack,”

Heard said his personal project gave him a connection with the photographers who worked to document the project as it progressed. “Although I don’t consider myself a photographer – either primarily or secondarily – I did feel something in common with the Bureau’s professional photographers. The basic urge is the same – to document what we see and to do so with aesthetic intent. It’s up to the viewer to decide whether we were successful.”

The opening reception is also the museum’s annual “Feed the Mammoth” fundraising and membership party. The evening includes live music and refreshments.

The show will be on display through Jan. 6. People who want more information can contact the museum, 509-764-3830.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.