Artists will paint four storm drains along Harrison Street.
It’s easy to pass a storm drain without giving it a second thought — with more than 35,000 in the city of Richmond alone, they’re hardly an uncommon sight. However, many people are unaware that stormwater is the number source of water pollution in the nation. The city’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU) hopes to help change this by using murals to draw attention to the drains.
A part of DPU’s RVAH2O initiative, the 2nd Annual Storm Drain Art Project will see four local artists paint their designs onto drains along the West Grace and Harrison Street corridor near Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus.
“Storm drains are these things that we live with and don't even realize we're living with. We just pass them by,” says Angela Fountain, public information manager for the Richmond DPU. “We wanted to make them a focal point so that people would know not to dump their trash in the storm drain because it all drains into our drinking water source, the James River.”
The Storm Drain Art Project started in 2016, winning DPU the National Environmental Achievement Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.
Selected by a committee from DPU, this year’s four winning designs highlight the importance of keeping the drains free of garbage that will drain to the James River.
"I wanted to get the message across without being too literal," says Donna Bailey.
Donna Bailey (provided photo)
Two of the winning artists, Donna Bailey and Jennifer Haebel, will paint their designs this weekend, May 27 to 29.
Bailey had only done indoor murals previously, but decided to enter the contest after seeing an ad on Facebook. She says she had been looking for a community-involved project to spread art throughout the city, and approached her design from that angle.
“My design comes from my love of dots and stippling,” says Bailey, a Richmond henna artist and illustrator.
Jennifer Haebel's design was inspired by local wildlife.
Jennifer Haebel (provided photo)
Haebel, who works as an environmental health and safety coordinator for Albemarle County Public Schools, discovered the RVAH2O contest while doing research for a mural she was designing with some students. A self-described environmentalist, Haebel says she decided to give the contest a try.
“I wanted my piece to be positive, to represent local wildlife, and to get the message across in a clear, concise and rhythmic way,” says Haebel. “After many attempts, I finally came up with ‘Consider the River Before you Litter.’ ”
The other two winners, Alison Tinker and Douglas Fuchs, will paint their murals the weekend of June 3 and 4.
Alison Tinker decided to use the otter as a mascot for the James River.
Alison Tinker (provided photo)
Tinker says she’s always been artistically inspired by nature and was happy to see a local art contest trying to make people aware of the James River ecosystem. While doing research for the contest, Tinker found videos of otters playing on the banks of the river.
“Until I saw those videos, I had no idea that there were otters in the James. Many people already familiar with the James know about its more famous animal residents like bald eagles, sturgeons and herons,” says Tinker. “But I'm not sure people realize how many other animals inhabit the area.”
Tinker, a web developer who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, says she decided to use an otter as a mascot for protecting the river, similar to Smokey the Bear.
Douglas Fuchs' design brings the river to the storm drains.
Douglas Fuchs (provided photo)
A 2016 graduate of VCU Arts, Douglas Fuchs says he decided to enter the contest in between work he does for his illustration business. Fuchs says he approached the project from a different angle, incorporating activities he associates with the river such as fishing and kayaking.
“The whole point of the murals are to show the connection between the storm drains and what you put in them eventually goes to the James. I was thinking in reverse, kind of bringing the James to the storm drains themselves,” says Fuchs. “I kind of have almost a tidal wave bursting out from the drain, and from there have some of the activities I associate with the river.”
RVAH2O and DPU have plans to continue the project in the coming years, and hope to expand to drains in Carytown, downtown and even perhaps the East End.
