In a recent episode of the Modern Art Notes podcast, photographer Meghann Riepenhoff joined host Tyler Green to discuss her artistic process–including the unique way she processes her cyanotypes using water, snow, and ice.

Riepenhoff was one of the seven artists who created commissioned work for UMMA’s Watershed, ​​an exhibition that immerses visitors in the interconnected histories, present lives, and imagined futures of the Great Lakes region. During the interview, she explains the name of her piece, Waters of the Americas: EPA ID NYD980592497, Eastman Kodak’s Emissions B (Confluence of the Genesee River and Lake Ontario, Rochester, NY, 03.12.2022), and dives into the complexities of the title.

Meghann Riepenhoff, Waters of the Americas: EPA ID NYD980592497, Eastman Kodak’s Emissions B (Confluence of the Genesee River and Lake Ontario, Rochester, NY, 03.12.2022), 2022, Three Dynamic Cyanotypes. Courtesy the artist and Yossi Milo Gallery © Meghann Riepenhhoff

Riepenhoff and Green also talk about the environmental impact photography has had on the world, for better and worse: “I think it’s important that we self-implicate in the things that we engage in, in life” Riepenhoff said. “Photography has been used as a tool for protecting landscapes and showing social injustice, it’s been very useful for making positive change…and then, Kodak created these four Superfund sites in New York and New Jersey, and caused a pretty massive amount of environmental destruction in the process of making the materials we use [to create that change].”

Green and Riepenhoff also touch on what happens when she’s working on a piece but Mother Nature has other ideas (like when her work gets swept away into Lake Ontario), and the surprising artistic contributions of her dog, Mr. Bear.

You can listen to the full episode down below, and visit Watershed until October 23rd.