Social Practices Art Network

The Aerospace Contamination Museum of Education or ACME
By: William Preston Bowling-Artist/Activist/Agent

Stumbling upon a Nuclear/Rocket Research Facility that impacts the health of San Fernando Valley residents, William began taking his artwork into the medium of Documentary Filmmaking. As one of 17 films selected for the 2005 Topanga Film Festival, H2 OH NO!!!,  a 10 minute short with subject material that kept pulling people together. “Everywhere I went, people would tell me stories of cancers in their neighborhoods or fathers who worked there dying young and painful deaths, I then realized, this was my life’s work and that I could make a difference”. With ideas to take this into a Museum setting, William approached Lauren Bon, Chair of the Annenberg Foundation who helped make his vision a reality. It was clear that education was needed to ensure a proper cleanup of this research facility and Mr. Bowling founded what today is known as the Aerospace Contamination Museum of Education or ACME (www.ACMELA.org).

With Certificates of Recognition from Assembly member Julia Brownley, Senators Sheila Kuehl, Fran Pavley and with the City of Calabasas 2009 Environmental Excellence Award his momentum resulted in over 12000 cubic yards of contaminated soil remediated to EPA standards. Today, Bowling has developed a synergetic relationship with the owners of the facility with a mission to “Ensure a Proper CleanUp of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SFFL), it’s Related Facilities and their Surrounding Communities”. NASA, who co-owns the facility, has given attention to Bowling in their first ever SSFL newsletter, Field Notes, which was named by William Preston Bowling…

http://ssfl.msfc.nasa.gov/documents/local/fieldnotes_201104.pdf

Today the SSFL is undergoing a Radiological Background Characterization Study and Historical Site Assessment led by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) paid for with over $40,000,000 of Obama Stimulus monies. Bowling participates in an EPA Technical Workgroup by creating memos of Historical Data that helps in a sampling selection process. “I have always felt, there are solutions to everything” and so, his continued work has proven to be.