Flow is a socially-engaged project where the exhibition of art and interdisciplinary installations set the framework and jumping off point for community conversations around water issues, rights and usage during related, interactive events. Dr. Leanne Gilbertson and Sherri Cornett, as gallery director and artist, respectively, are creating opportunities for community interaction, where the gallery will be treated as a laboratory - a space for experimentation, dialogue and collaboration.

This form of art incorporates concepts used in social sciences: community, society, empowerment, agency, and/or political philosophy and can be described as social practice art, dialogic art, participatory art, research-based or collaborative art.  It goes beyond the traditional experience of art to create an environment where viewers, participants, artists, and civic leaders are encouraged to think outside their own understanding and establish a more comprehensive and informed perspective about how water affects our lives and livelihoods. 

Flow highlights the work of MSUB alum Sherri Cornett. Cornett’s Grottoes Series, (13 wall-mounted, mixed media, sculptures including video meditations on water), create a backdrop for the conversations and events. The exhibition also includes additional works juried from submissions from the MSU Billings and Rocky Mountain College communities.

Grotto Series image

See also: Flow Community Events

IMAGE ABOVE: Three of Sherri Cornett’s Grottoes series: Flowing Streams, Falling Water and Cascades