MARIA CRISTINA “CRISTY” JADICK / ARTIST STATEMENT
Blue Norther Exhibition, Site Gallery-Sawyer Yards Silos
Jadick is compelled to build bridges that connect people. She affirms that her art’s main purpose is to evoke compassion while creating a space for dialogue. Her research-based, conceptual art often integrates combinations of photography, video/audio, painting, printmaking, performance and installation while reflecting an authentic, rather than a traditional beauty aesthetic.
Jadick’s multi-media, photo-essay installation, “Warning: Arctic Freeze, Power Grid Fail,” addresses from a personal perspective as she experienced it, the extreme weather event, Winter Storm Uri, which took place between Feb. 12-17, 2021. It caused 75% of the United States to be covered in snow and damaging ice while incurring between $86 billion and $129 billion dollars in economic damages, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.
In Texas, millions of Texans were left without power, heat and water, when rolling, electricity grid blackouts occurred during multiple days of subzero temperatures. Hundreds of Texans died of hypothermia, exacerbation of existing conditions, carbon monoxide poisoning, motor vehicle accidents, fires and falls, while millions more, having been inadequately prepared, suffered through the trying ordeal.
Jadick’s installation is intended to be a clarion call for concerned citizens, policymakers and legislators to come together urgently and make the necessary fixes to our energy power grid; making it resilient, affordable and stable, so it effectively meets the future energy needs of citizens. It is imperative to avoid a repeat of the tragic and unnecessary deaths that occurred during and after Winter Storm Uri caused by denial, poor planning and a lack of preparedness. Climate Change is real. It is causing more frequent and intense extreme weather and we all have to be ready when it comes.