All News Releases By Date

Washington Stop of National "Documerica" Environmental Photo Exhibit at Seattle Aquarium

Release Date: 06/08/2012
Contact Information: Mark MacIntyre, EPA, (206) 553-7302, macintyre.mark@epa.gov

Chance to see environmental "before and after"

(Seattle, WA, June 8, 2012) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in cooperation with the U.S. National Archives is opening the “Documerica” exhibit of photographs depicting environmental conditions of the past and present. The display’s visit to Seattle is the ninth stop in a national tour and will be in the area through June 29, 2012.

From its development in 1971, “Documerica” became the United States’ first serious pictorial examination of the environment. The project collected more than 15,000 images, documenting the environmental and human conditions of this country when EPA was starting its mission. The idea was to visually record the difference in conditions in later years, providing the public with a measurement of progress made to accomplish goals set by Congress.

Forty years later the project was rediscovered with the help of National Archives. “State of the Environment” launched Earth Day 2011 as an opportunity for the public to participate and engage in a modern revitalization of Documerica. There are nearly 2,000 new images that have been submitted to EPA through Flickr.

WHAT: EPA’s “Documerica” Photographic Traveling Exhibit National Tour

WHERE and WHEN:

Seattle Aquarium: Friday, June 8 – Sunday, June 10 Map and Directions

U.S. EPA Region 10: Monday, June 11 – Wednesday, June 13 Map and Directions

Discovery Park Learning Center: Friday, June 22 – Friday, June 29 Map and Directions

*The EPA photo project will continue accepting submissions through the end of 2013. Public entries that are taken from the same view points as original Documerica scenes will be considered for a larger exhibit of both projects set for March-September 2013 at the U.S. National Archives’ Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery in Washington, D.C.

To learn more, follow the project, and see the latest public call for photos of the Seattle area visit: www.epa.gov/stateoftheenvironment

To match images near you, a selection of the full record is available on the National Archives Flickr photostream