Stefan Frutiger’s Artist Portfolio
Selected art work from the long-term Sacred Land, Scarred Land and Invisible Threat projects.
For additional information see the public website and comprehensive image collection.
Smoke - Making Visible What Our Eyes Can’t See
Limited edition Triptych. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Dimensions (each panel): 20" x 20". Year completed: 2023. Location: Monument No. 2, Abandoned Uranium Mine near Monument Valley, AZ.
Locations: (1) Monument No. 2, Abandoned Uranium Mine near Monument Valley, Arizona. (2) Abandoned uranium upgrader and mill waste deposit on the banks of the Little Colorado River. Near Cameron, Arizona.
Numerous abandoned uranium mines are located in close proximity to the Little Colorado River. There is clear scientific evidence that the Little Colorado River seasonally carries high loads or uranium – contamination that is carried directly into the Colorado River. While uranium occurs naturally in that area, we will look at human made situations upstream from Cameron, Arizona. Next is an “upgrader” which was meant to increase the concentration of uranium in the ore from local mines.
Elevated gamma radiation in soil was identified at the site during a site screen in 2011. Waste rock across the site from historical mining activities is the primary source of radiological and metals contamination. Excavation of mining related ore and waste rock from near-surface uranium deposits have dispersed metals and radionuclides into the local environment.
In November 2024, the EPA published a proposal to remove remnants of the upgrader, concrete pads and foundations, unreclaimed waste piles, a former drainage pond and two abandoned mines.
The removal of an estimated 14,711 cubic yards of contaminated soil will cost $4M. The cleanup includes excavating waste rock piles, residual waste rock, and contaminated soils; and consolidating and capping the waste in a regional repository located approximately one mile from the upgrader. According to the EPA this location would provide for increased distance from drainages and floodplains. The cap and exposed bedrock areas will require long-term maintenance.
Invisible Threat I (Large)
Limited edition 3D accordion / lenticular. Part of a 5 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Dimensions (outer, frame): 23.5" x 29.5" x 1". Dimensions (inner, accordion): 16” x 22”. White mat. Black frame. Year completed: 2023.
Locations: (1) Monument No. 2, Abandoned Uranium Mine near Monument Valley, Arizona. (2) Disposal cell near Tuba City, Arizona. The disposal cell is a threat to the Navajo aquifer, the main water source for the nearby Hopi and Navajo tribes. A plume of contaminated groundwater slowly moves towards residential areas.
A disposal cell is located on Navajo Nation land, near the Hopi reservation, approximately five miles east of Tuba City, Arizona. Uranium and vanadium ore processing occurred there between 1956 and 1966. The mill produced around 800,000 tons of uranium mill tailings. The disposal cell was completed in 1990. The DOE moved approximately 1.4 million cubic yards of contaminated materials into a engineered disposal cell covering about 50 acres.
There have been ongoing concerns about contamination of the underlying aquifer, which is a source of drinking water for local communities. Monitoring has shown elevated levels of uranium, nitrate, and sulfate in the groundwater.
A few alarming numbers (estimates) from the 2023 Groundwater Remedy Performance Update: During milling a maximum of 100 tons of uranium was infiltrated into the ground. The current uranium plume in the aquifer contains 550 million gallons of contaminated water and increases by an average of 40 million gallons per year. The average uranium concentration is 190 μg/L, 36% up from 140 μg/L in 2008, about six times the EPA's limit for drinking water (30 μg/L).
The site's location on Navajo Nation land has raised environmental justice concerns about the disproportionate impact of uranium mining and processing on Indigenous communities.
Invisible Threat II (Large)
Limited edition 3D accordion / lenticular. Part of a 5 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Dimensions (outer, frame): 23.5" x 29.5" x 1". Dimensions (inner, accordion): 16” x 22”. White mat. Black frame. Year completed: 2023.
Invisible Threat I (Small)
Limited edition 3D accordion / lenticular. Part of a 5 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Dimensions (outer, frame): 15" x 12" x 1". Dimensions (inner, accordion): 8” x 10”. White mat. Black frame. Year completed: 2023.
Locations: (1) Monument No. 2, Abandoned Uranium Mine near Monument Valley, Arizona. (2) Abandoned uranium upgrader and mill waste deposit on the banks of the Little Colorado River. Near Cameron, Arizona.
Invisible Threat II (Small)
Limited edition 3D accordion / lenticular. Part of a 5 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Dimensions (outer, frame): 15" x 12" x 1". Dimensions (inner, accordion): 8” x 10”. White mat. Black frame. Year completed: 2023.
Locations: (1) Monument No. 2, Abandoned Uranium Mine near Monument Valley, Arizona. (2) Disposal cell near Tuba City, Arizona. The disposal cell is a threat to the Navajo aquifer, the main water source for the nearby Hopi and Navajo tribes. A plume of contaminated groundwater slowly moves towards residential areas.
Invisible Threat III (Small)
Limited edition 3D accordion / lenticular. Part of a 5 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Dimensions (outer, frame): 15" x 12" x 1". Dimensions (inner, accordion): 8” x 10”. White mat. Black frame. Year completed: 2023.
Locations: (1) Monument No. 2, Abandoned Uranium Mine near Monument Valley, Arizona. (2) Abandoned well in Cane Valley. Uranium mining and processing polluted groundwater. A plume of contaminated water in the aquifer makes the groundwater unusable.
Invisible Threat IV (Small)
Limited edition 3D accordion / lenticular. Part of a 5 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Dimensions (outer, frame): 15" x 12" x 1". Dimensions (inner, accordion): 8” x 10”. White mat. Black frame. Year completed: 2023.
Locations: (1) Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona. (2) Disposal cell near Mexican Hat, Utah about 1 mile south of the San Juan River. The cell holds 4.4 million tons of low-level radioactive waste from abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo land.
The San Juan River is another tributary of the Colorado River. The Mexican Hat disposal cell, less than a mile from the San Juan, originated from uranium mining operations in the 1950s-1960s. The site, located on Navajo Nation land, processed uranium ore for the U.S. atomic weapons program. Processing operations ended in 1965, leaving behind massive piles of radioactive mill tailings. Under the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978, the Department of Energy conducted remediation from 1987 to 1995. The cleanup consolidated 2.8 million cubic yards of radioactively contaminated materials from both Mexican Hat and nearby Monument Valley sites into the current disposal cell.
The site's history highlights environmental justice concerns, as uranium mining disproportionately impacted Navajo communities through occupational exposure and environmental contamination. The Mexican Hat disposal cell in Utah, containing approximately 4.4 million tons of uranium mill tailings, presents several environmental concerns:
1) Groundwater contamination from radionuclides and heavy metals seeping through the disposal cell.
2) The site sits above the Honaker Trail Formation aquifer.
3) Natural precipitation and flooding could potentially accelerate contaminant migration.
4) Erosion of cover materials could compromise containment.
Monitoring data has shown site-related groundwater contamination. However, because of the isolation of the upper aquifer, the Department of Energy is not required to perform groundwater monitoring...
Invisible Threat V (Small)
Limited edition 3D accordion / lenticular. Part of a 5 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Dimensions (outer, frame): 15" x 12" x 1". Dimensions (inner, accordion): 8” x 10”. White mat. Black frame. Year completed: 2023.
Locations: (1) Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona. (2) Monument No. 2, Abandoned Uranium Mine near Monument Valley, Arizona. Radioactive waste from the Monument No. 2 mine was disposed into the wash and later covered. Run-off water digs deep ditches, unearths mine waste and washes radioactivity into Cane Valley Wash and later into the San Juan River.
Invisible Threat X
Limited edition, mixed media (layered artwork, cutout print, colored paper, glows under UV light).
Part of a 6 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Inner dimensions: 8” x 10”. White mat. White frame. Year completed: 2024.
Disposal cell near Mexican Hat, Utah about one mile south of the San Juan River. It was built in 1995 at the location of the demolished uranium-ore processing site. The cell holds 4.4 million tons of low-level radioactive waste from abandoned uranium mines and processing mills on Navajo land. According to the Department of Energy, the Mexican Hat disposal cell was designed to remain protective of human health and the environment for 200 to 1,000 years. The half-lives of naturally occurring uranium isotopes range between 159,200 years and 4.5 billion years. According to the Navajo Superfund Program no long-term storage plan exists.
Additional details on this page.
Invisible Threat XI
Limited edition, mixed media (layered artwork, cutout print, colored paper, glows under UV light).
Part of a 6 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Inner dimensions: 8” x 10”. White mat. White frame. Year completed: 2024.
Disposal cell in Shiprock, New Mexico located on the Navajo Nation reservation in San Juan County in close proximity to the San Juan River. It was built in 1986 at the location of uranium- and vanadium-ore processing facility built and operated by Kerr-McGee from 1954 until 1963. After selling it, Vanadium Corporation of America (VCA), operated the site until 1968. The milling operations produced waste, including radioactive tailings and sludge comprised of acids and uranium-processing products, that remained on-site after operations ceased. The Shiprock disposal site is located 600 feet from the San Juan River.
The disposal cell contains approximately 2.5 million tons of residual radioactive wastes including mill tailings. The disposal cell covers approximately 77 acres of the 145-acre site.
According to the Department of Energy, the Mexican Hat disposal cell was designed to remain protective of human health and the environment for 200 to 1,000 years. The half-lives of naturally occurring uranium isotopes range between 159,200 years and 4.5 billion years. According to the Navajo Superfund Program no long-term storage plan exists.
Invisible Threat XII
Limited edition, mixed media (layered artwork, cutout print, colored paper, glows under UV light).
Part of a 6 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Inner dimensions: 8” x 10”. White mat. White frame. Year completed: 2024.
Homestake Mining Company (HMC) disposal cell and Superfund site in Milan, New Mexico located in Cibola County. The site includes the former uranium mill site, two tailing disposal sites, and the impacted portions of the underlying ground water aquifers. The site is presently undergoing reclamation, groundwater corrective action.
Uranium milling operations at the site began in 1958. Between 1993 and 1995 HMC decommissioned and demolished the mill facilities. The large pile covers an area of 200 acres and contains 21 million tons of mill tailings. Both tailing piles are unlined. Seepage from the two tailings impoundments has contaminated the underlying groundwater aquifers. The primary contaminants present in the groundwater are uranium, selenium, radium-226/228, thorium-230, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, sulfate, chloride, nitrate, and total dissolved solids. Radium-226 was the primary contaminant of concern present in the soil.
The major land use immediately proximal to the site consists of residential development. There are five residential subdivisions located south and southwest of the mill site: Felice Acres, Broadview Acres, Murray Acres, Pleasant Valley Estates, and Valle Verde. Land near the site is also used for agricultural and livestock purposes. Much of the land immediately surrounding the mill site to the north, east and west has been acquired over the years by the HMC.
The initial action to connect the nearby residences to the municipal water supply provided a safe drinking water supply. The contaminant plume has receded back almost three-quarters of a mile into the site boundaries by injecting fresh water downgradient of the site. Nearly 4.5 billion gallons of contaminated water have been removed and 540 million gallons of treated water has been injected into the aquifer. Sources: epa.gov, nrc.gov
Invisible Threat XIII
Limited edition, mixed media (layered artwork, cutout print, colored paper, glows under UV light).
Part of a 6 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Inner dimensions: 8” x 10”. White mat. White frame. Year completed: 2024.
Disposal cell near Tuba City, Arizona located within the Navajo Nation and close to the Hopi Reservation. The Rare Metals Corporation and its successor, El Paso Natural Gas Company, operated a uranium mill at the site between 1956 and 1966. The mill processed about 800,000 tons of uranium ore. The milling operations created low-level radioactive mill tailings. Chemicals from tailings piles and ponds leaked into the soil and groundwater during milling operations.
In 1988, the Department of Energy cleaned up materials from former milling operations. In 1990, uranium mill tailings from the on-site piles, debris from demolished mill buildings, and windblown tailings were placed in a disposal cell. A cover prevents radon gas from escaping and reduces the amount of water drainage through the disposal cell.
The disposal site is located near Moenkopi Wash, an intermittent stream that drains into the Little Colorado River. Water from the wash is used for stock watering and agricultural diversions by the Navajo and Hopi residents near the site.
The disposal cell contains 2.25 million tons of residual radioactive waste. The disposal cell occupies an area of 50 acres on the 145-acre site. A water treatment plant began operating in 2002 to process contaminated groundwater. However, it was put in an operational standby mode in 2014, because of safety issues, unreliable operation, and concern about its effectiveness.
According to the Department of Energy, the Tuba City disposal cell was designed to remain protective of human health and the environment for 200 to 1,000 years. The half-lives of naturally occurring uranium isotopes range between 159,200 years and 4.5 billion years. According to the Navajo Superfund Program no long-term storage plan exists. Sources: doe.gov, nrc.gov, energy.gov
Invisible Threat XIV
Limited edition, mixed media (layered artwork, cutout print, colored paper, glows under UV light).
Part of a 6 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Inner dimensions: 8” x 10”. White mat. White frame. Year completed: 2024.
Ambrosia Lake disposal site. Former uranium-ore processing facility in McKinley County, New Mexico. The site is within the Ambrosia Lake Mining District, near the center of the Grants Mineral Belt. The area surrounding the site is sparsely populated.
The former mill processed more than 3 million tons of uranium ore between 1958 and 1963 and provided uranium for the U.S. government national defense programs. Phillips Petroleum Company built the original mill at the site in 1957 to process ore from nearby mines. United Nuclear Corporation purchased and operated the mill for a brief period in 1963, then ceased milling operations. In the late 1970s to early 1980s, United Nuclear Corporation operated an ion exchange system, extracting uranium from mine water. All mill operations ceased in 1982, leaving radioactive mill tailings on approximately 111 acres. Wind and water erosion spread some of the tailings across a 230-acre area.
The Department of Energy remediated the site between 1987 and 1995. Surface remediation consisted of consolidating and encapsulating all contaminated material on-site in an engineered disposal cell. The disposal cell was closed in 1995 upon encapsulation of the tailings and completion of the disposal cell cover. The disposal cell contains 6.9 million dry tons of contaminated material, with a total activity of 1,850 curies of radium-226. The disposal cell occupies 91 acres of a 290-acre tract of land.
According to the Department of Energy, the Ambrosia Lake disposal cell was designed to remain protective of human health and the environment for 200 to 1,000 years. The half-lives of naturally occurring uranium isotopes range between 159,200 years and 4.5 billion years. According to the Navajo Superfund Program no long-term storage plan exists. Source: energy.gov
Invisible Threat XV
Limited edition, mixed media (layered artwork, cutout print, black Musou paper absorbing 99.4% of visible light). Part of a 6 piece series. Archival pigment print on Canson Infinity ARCHES 88 high-quality fine art paper (310gsm - Matte). Inner dimensions: 8” x 10”. White mat. White frame. Year completed: 2024. Location: Ambrosia Lake, NM. 6.9 million tons of radioactively contaminated material. Same location as for “Invisible Threat XIV“.
Radioactive Catastrophe
Jimmie M. “Jaybo” Yazzie, Cane Valley, UT. Author of “Long live the cowboy”. His father, John M. Yazzie, was a uranium mine owner in Cane Valley. Jaybo lives next to an abandoned uranium mine. Year completed: 2022.
Postcard Idyll
Open-air pop-up event in Monument Valley at the Arizona state border to Utah. Eight different motives of landscape photographs with light paintings printed on high-quality 5x7 inch postcards with address and post stamp fields, QR code and website information on the back. Postcards handed out to visitors of the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Year completed: 2022.. Additional details on this page.
Mexican Hat Disposal Cell
Location: Halchita, UT. 4.4 million tons of residual radioactive materials. Less than one mile away from the San Juan River. Year completed: 2022. Additional details on this page.
Untitled
Location: Monument Valley, UT. Year completed: 2022.