Salt of the Earth
Salt of the Earth
A visual record of transformation in South Bay wetlands by Barbara Boissevain
Exhibition Dates: September 2, 2025 - February 13, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, September 5, 6:30pm
Artist Talk: Friday, January 16 at 7pm
The David Brower Center is pleased to present Salt of the Earth, an exhibition by California-based photographer Barbara Boissevain that highlights the transforming landscapes of the South Bay Salt Ponds. Her work documents nearly a decade and a half of the ongoing transition of a portion of local salt ponds to restored marshlands. These versatile wetland ecosystems, including Ravenswood Ponds in Menlo Park to Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Hayward, provide crucial habitat for birds, fish, crustaceans, and other wildlife.
Boissevain's photographs depict the mid-point of a fifty-year-long collaborative project that is the largest tidal restoration effort on the West Coast. The project aims to restore at least 8,000 acres of salt marsh, with 2,000 acres kept for managed ponds for waterfowl as well as dry habitat for snowy plovers. This ambitious plan relies on the expertise and resources of numerous government agencies, conservation researchers, philanthropic partners, and local nonprofits. We invite you to reflect on these dynamic landscapes and celebrate the delicate work of restoration happening right here in the Bay.
Visit the Exhibition
Gallery Hours:
Monday - Thursday, 10am -4pm
Friday, 10am - 2pm
David Brower Center
2150 Allston Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
About the Artist
Barbara Boissevain is a California-based contemporary visual artist and educator whose work focuses on the impact of human activity on the environment. Nature’s ability to regenerate and reclaim human altered landscapes is a central theme in her work. Boissevain studied painting at Parsons School of Design in New York before earning a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from San Jose State University. Currently she is an adjunct professor at College of the Desert in Palm Springs, CA.
Boissevain's photographs has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across the U.S. and Europe. Her first book, Children of the Rainbow (2009), documented the humanitarian challenges facing Quechua communities in Peru due to climate change. More recently, her work was featured on NPR’s “The Picture Show” during the UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow, on the PBS News segment "Something Beautiful" (2022), and on CNN's Call to Earth global editorial series (2024). Her book Salt of the Earth was published by Kehrer Verlag and was listed as one of Wired Magazine’s best photography books of 2023. Her most recent exhibition, Oceans Not Mars, is being shown in Key West, Florida and explores coral reef recovery in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Boissevain’s photographs are in numerous public and private collections, including the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington D.C.; the Google Corporate Art Collection, Sunnyvale, CA; and the De Pietri Artphilein Foundation, Lugano, Switzerland. To learn more about her work, visit her website.
Made possible via the generosity of Beneficial State Bank, City of Berkeley Civic Arts, 
East Bay Municipal Utility District, and many supportive individuals.