See art in action! Springfield’s UpStream Art mural painting project is July 28-29
Community members are invited to watch artists at work for the seventh annual UpStream Art mural painting project. Five Oregon artists will be creating colorful murals with water-friendly messages around storm drains from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, July 28 and Friday, July 29 on A Street in Downtown Springfield, between Pioneer Parkway East and 5th Street.
The UpStream Art project supports artists and raises awareness of the connection between City streets and local waterways, which happens at the storm drain.
“We’re here to remind everyone to prevent water pollution before it starts,” said Peter Jaeger, UpStream Art project lead. “Springfield is located between two rivers – the Willamette and McKenzie – and we use those rivers for recreation and resources. One of the biggest threats to those rivers is pollution from urban runoff.”
As rain washes over the City, it collects particles, chemicals, debris, spilled liquids, and more from hard surfaces like roofs, driveways, parking lots, and equipment left outdoors. These pollutants wash into our storm drains and, because stormwater water is not treated, straight out to local rivers and streams. UpStream Art reminds us that we all have a part to play in keeping pollution out of these water supplies.
“Many people don’t realize all the pollution that can wash into storm drains every time it rains. That includes overapplied lawn chemicals, not picking up pet waste, paint waste, and vehicle leaks,” said Jaeger. “Every storm drain in every neighborhood in Springfield matters, not just the drains we’ll be painting this year.”
The UpStream Art mural collection currently consists of 31 unique storm drain paintings, located around downtown Springfield and at Agnes Stewart Middle School. These can be viewed in person or online through the UpStream Art Virtual Tour at bit.ly/upstreamtour.
This year, a Call for Artists for UpStream Art went out in May and ended in June. A total of 24 artist applications were received. Five winning designs were selected by a panel of judges consisting of local artists, local business owners, and various agency staff. All artists will be paid for their work.
UpStream Art is hosted by the City of Springfield’s Stormwater Team. Additional information about the project is available at bit.ly/upstreamart.
What: Five local artists paint five storm drain murals for the 7th annual UpStream Art project
Who: Community members
When: 8 a.m.-4 p.m., July 28-29, 2022
Where: Downtown Springfield on A Street, between Pioneer Parkway East and 5th Street.
Project Information: bit.ly/upstreamart
UpStream Art Virtual Tour: bit.ly/upstreamtour
Additional Information: Peter Jaeger, Environmental Technician and UpStream Art Project Lead, City of Springfield’s Stormwater Team, 541.726.3693 or pjaeger@springfield-or.gov.
Background: Every summer since 2016, the City of Springfield has commissioned at least five artists to use their creativity to decorate storm drains and walkways with beneficial water-quality messages. Currently there are 31 UpStream Art murals located in and around downtown Springfield and near Agnes Stewart Middle School.
At UpStream Art last year, artist Dorothy Siemens worked on her design, showing anthropomorphic water creatures disco dancing at the storm drain. Artists use fast-drying traffic paint provided by the City of Springfield, which hosts the annual mural-painting project.
