​Artist Design Statement

Larrea Horner
Finn Stowers
Carter McQuinn
Acid Mine Drainage

ELEVATOR PITCH
Our exhibit is based off of the effects that come from acid mine drainage into mountain rivers.
Our interactive exhibit will be displayed through a large scale diorama which can be used to
show the effects of an acid mine spill through discoloration of water. Acid mine drainage can be
harmful to aquatic and environmental life. Our goal is to inform our audience of the dangers of
acid mine drainage and how the issue is solved through the water treatment process.

I WANT THE AUDIENCE TO LEAVE WITH THE FOLLOWING:

We would like our audience to learn about what acid mine drainage is, the amount of metals
that are in the water, and how the drainage affects the ecosystem and aquatic life. We would
like for them to walk away with knowledge on the pros of dilution and filtration as well as the
affects the metals have on humans. Our audience will be engaged and having fun. We want
them to feel involved in the interactive experience as well as use creative thinking to determine
the outcomes from the spill based on our prototype.They will be curious about the treatment
process, the amount of effort put into it and how they could have done more. They may be
curious about what metals are in their drinking water and the way the water treatment plant is
filtering these toxins. They may also want to know how the acids affect human well being.

THE STORY MY EXHIBIT TELLS IS?

The issues and challenges explored throughout our exhibit communicate how an acid mine spill
effects the river quality, people, ecosystems, and aquatic life. Our exhibit shows the process of
an acid mine spill in a river, flowing into Durango. It proves the river filters and dilutes the metals
to an extent but it also shows the way the spill stays in the ecosystem. The scientific concepts
that we are teaching include pH of the river before and after, dilution, filtration, and the amount
and effects of the toxicity from the spill. The audience (if your a community member) will be able
to remember the mine spill and effects it had on the community. When they can view a
prototype of the same scenario on a smaller grid allows them to understand the process of the
spill. They will have the ability to see where the metals and other toxins collect. A view of each
stream will help create a dilution visual. At the end of the river there is a pool showing the
amount of toxins that end up being filtered out at the Water Treatment Plant. To develop our
design we used a lot of statistics from the original spill. We had to incorporate the same amount
of water and particles released at the time and bring it down to a smaller scale. We decided on
this topic because it was a major issue for the community when it happened and many people
don’t understand the severity of it. We used SketchUp to create a model of our prototype. It
includes a visual of durango with the river leading to a mine on the mountain. There are other
streams feeding into the river to portray how it dilutes the river. Our work as well as our
classmates work come together to form a broader picture of the river in our community.

TARGET AUDIENCE
Our project targets all ages. We have designed a process that engages the audience with
content as well as an interactive model. All levels of education are invited to participate and it
includes different aspects for all types of thinkers.

INTERACTION LENGTH & STYLE OF ENGAGEMENT

We want our audience to interact with the design throughout the whole cycle. What we mean by
that is when the mine spill flows throughout the river and gets to the end allowing the viewer to
see the dilution, filtration, and the large amount of chemicals left in the river. Our exhibit has
multiple engaging aspects such as running water, sparkles for the chemicals and a prototype
that displays Durango. They will also be extremely engaged because it has been an issue in the
past for our community with Silverton being a main contributor to mining around the Animas
river. Our exhibit allows a lot of hands on activity. You will be able to work with glitter, water,
pebbles and many other substances representing the chemicals in a mine spill. The role you will
be playing is that of a passerby. You will learn how the process works and the causes and
effects. You will be able to view our model as a citizen of Durango.

DEFENSE
Our exhibit should be included in the City of Durango’s final plans for the remodeled Santa Rita
Wastewater Reclamation Facility because it would be a great educational addition to the facility
where people of all ages could learn about acid mine drainage. Our interactive model can teach
a wide variety of community members and be used to teach them about the treatment process
of acid mine drainage.