Dr. Gretchen E. Henderson’s new exhibition, Dear Body of Water, runs through May 2, 2026, at Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. Henderson is the Spence L. Wilson Distinguished Professor in Humanities at Rhodes College.
In the exhibition, Henderson aims to engage attendees in reexamining their perceptions of bodies of water across the United States. In her artist statement, she writes: “The human body is mostly water. The planet is mostly water. We are all bodies of water. I have been listening with bodies of water: from rising ocean tides to retreating landlocked seas, to monsoons gushing through arroyos, to melting snow and river runoff. Through listening beyond hearing to retune my perceptions, my practices as a writer, artist, musician, and human are shifting in concert with a more-than-human world. Part of this practice involves renewing relationships with bodies of water and inviting others into a collaborative practice of reencounter through Dear Body of Water.”
Henderson, who is a writer, artist, and interdisciplinary scholar, leads the Dear Body of Water project, a global initiative that seeks to recognize beloved rivers, oceans, aquifers, creeks, ponds, and other bodies of water through postcard-sized love letters (both digital and mail art) and poems.