Railroads and Shipping Containers on the Monongahela River

2013

American, born 1982

The contamination of water is a constant in LaToya Ruby Frazier’s life. From Braddock, Pennsylvania, her family developed illnesses largely due to environmental toxins released by nearby steel mills. She grew up drinking carcinogenic tap water and breathing in metals, asbestos, and chemicals known to cause respiratory disorders and autoimmune diseases. Documenting the effects of such damage on herself and her family personalizes what isn’t seen in daily scenes like this image of business as usual.

Archival pigment print printed onto Hahnemuhle, Fine Art Baryta 325 gsm

42 1/4 x 63 1/8 in. (107.3 x 160.3 cm)

Modern Art Acquisition Fund, in honor of Sandra Jackson-Dumont

2014.36.5

Provenance: The artist

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, LaToya Ruby Frazier: Born by a River, Dec. 13, 2013 - June 22, 2014.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Our Blue Planet: Global Visions of Water, Mar. 18 - May 30, 2022.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Art and Commerce, July 27 2024–January 12, 2025.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

Learn more about Equity at SAM