City of Springfield Seeking Mural Painters for ‘Upstream Art 2024’ Project
Between now and August 14, the City of Springfield’s Stormwater Team is looking for artists of all ages and from anywhere in Oregon to apply for their 9th annual storm drain mural-painting project, UpStream Art.
“This project is perfect for artists who love to paint and who care about protecting the environment.”
– Peter Jaeger, Environmental Services Technician, City of Springfield
Four artists will be selected to participate and compensated $1,500 each. Their murals will be installed at four storm drains in the Thurston area of east Springfield. Artists will paint their murals September 19-20 and the public will be invited to watch. The murals are a simple-yet-meaningful reminder that the storm drains across the city create a direct link from Springfield’s streets to our local waterways.
Acting to reduce waterway pollution
One of the biggest threats to water quality in the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers is pollution from urban runoff. Daily activities can cause water pollutants to collect on hard outdoor surfaces like driveways and roads. When it rains that pollution can wash into storm drains and out to local waterways where it concentrates, harming water quality and aquatic life.
UpStream Art supports artists while creating a fun year-round reminder of the ongoing connection between our streets and our streams, due to the vast stormwater infrastructure spread across the City.
“Stormwater is not cleaned before it’s released into local rivers. That’s why we want to keep pollution out of storm drains in the first place,” said Jaeger. “Everyone cares about clean water. We need it for drinking, recreation, agriculture, and industry. Not to mention the countless people, animals, and plants that live downstream from Springfield that also rely on clean water.”
Extending UpStream Art’s benefits
Springfield is upstream from Eugene and many other cities that share the Willamette River. By promoting clean water in Springfield, UpStream Art benefits people and wildlife living along the Willamette Valley.
“This year we’re bringing a new neighborhood into the UpStream Art family. We’ll be in east Springfield near Ridgeview Elementary School,” said Jaeger. “We’re excited to take the project to new parts of town, because that helps make the point that all storm drains in the City matter, not just the ones with murals on them. They all empty into local waterways.”
More information/Application
The UpStream Art Artist Application along with a link to the Virtual Tour can be found HERE.
View the UpStream Art Virtual Tour HERE.
About the City of Springfield’s Stormwater Team
The City of Springfield’s Stormwater Team protects and improves the health of Springfield’s waterways, and they help community members and businesses do the same. Through their work and programs, they help Springfield community members and the City meet requirements from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency.
