A close-up of a winning entry in the 2016 Storm Drain Art Project by Richard Lucente (Image courtesy RVAH2O)
Most people don’t actively think about the final destination of the contents of storm drains, but many of these drains empty into the James River and end up polluting the city of Richmond. In an effort to help call attention to the issue, the city's Department of Public Utilities (DPU) created the RVAH2O initiative, whose purpose is to reduce pollution, decrease flooding, and keep Richmond's waters fishable and swimmable.
“A lot of people don’t know that stormwater is the number one source of water pollution in the U.S.,” says Angela Fountain, spokeswoman for Richmond DPU. “The James River is a critical natural resource. People use the James for recreation, for fishing, canoeing, swimming. It serves so many purposes, so we want to be good stewards of the earth.”
This spring RVAH2O is bringing back its 2nd annual Storm Drain Art Project, which allows for those in Richmond to submit original art and bring attention to preventing pollution via storm drains. Four artists’ submissions will be selected to be painted on storm drains that empty into the James River around Richmond. The winning artists will be compensated $400 for their time and materials in painting the storm drains.
Abby Klein, an artist who won last year, emphasizes the importance of art being accessible and not confusing. Her piece, titled ‘You Drop It, I Drink It’, is aimed at encouraging pollution awareness in both children and adults.
Abby Klein's winning design from the 2016 RVAH2O Storm Drain Art Project, themed "You Drop It, I Drink It" (Image courtesy RVAH2O)
An elementary art teacher in Chesterfield County, Klein says, “I try to promote change or making the world a better place to my students.” She was inspired to submit her art after seeing the competition on social media. “My goal was for it to be beautiful and also get the point across very easily,” she says, adding, “We need to take care of a good thing we have because once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
Those interested in submitting their art can enter the competition by April 17 on the RVAH2O website. Voting will begin May 21, and the artist with the most votes will have his or her work displayed on billboards in downtown Richmond this summer. Last year’s winning entries may be viewed here.
“We just have a jewel in the James River. So many people take it for granted, but it’s very important to our identity, to our livelihood, our quality of life,” Fountain says.
