Between now and June 14, the City of Springfield’s Stormwater Team is looking for artists of all ages and from anywhere in Oregon to apply for the storm drain mural-painting project, UpStream Art.
“This project is perfect for artists who love to paint and who care about protecting the environment,” said Peter Jaeger, an environmental services technician who leads the project. Four artists will be selected to participate and compensated $1,000 each for painting murals around four strategically selected storm drains in Springfield. Artists will paint their murals July 20-21 and the public will be invited to watch.
One of the biggest threats to the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers is pollution from urban runoff. The murals are a simple-yet-meaningful reminder that the storm drains across the City create a direct connection from Springfield’s streets to our local waterways. That’s emphasized by this year’s UpStream Art theme, “Clean rivers start here.” As rain washes over hard surfaces such as roofs, parking lots, and roads, it collects contaminants and carries them directly into local rivers.
“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.”
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.
The UpStream Art Artist Application along with a link to the Virtual Tour can be found at bit.ly/upstreamart.
What: The UpStream Art mural painting project seeks four painters for an installation to occur this summer.
Who: The City of Springfield’s Stormwater Team seeks painters of all ages that live in Oregon.
Where/When: Artist applications due June 14, 2023. Murals will be painted at an intersection in the north side of Springfield on July 20-21, 2023.
Additional Information: Peter Jaeger, environmental services technician, and project lead for UpStream Art, 541.726.3693 or pjaeger@springfield-or.gov.
Project Information: bit.ly/upstreamart
UpStream Art Virtual Tour: bit.ly/upstreamtour
Background: Every summer since 2016, the City of Springfield has commissioned artists to use their creativity to decorate storm drains and walkways with beneficial water quality messages. Currently there are 33 UpStream Art murals located in and around downtown Springfield and near Agnes Stewart Middle School.
Eugene tattoo artist Marlis painted a storm drain mural for UpStream Art in July 2022. She was one of five artists selected to install murals that year.
Eugene illustrator and screen printer Rae Matagora painted her storm drain mural for UpStream Art in 2022. She believes art should be fun and creates playful characters with clever costumes and slogans. She was one of five artists selected to install murals last year.
Peter Jaeger and Mary Healy are environmental technicians for the City of Springfield’s Stormwater Team. Their work focuses on reducing water pollution through stormwater in and around the City. This will be their 4th year hosting the UpStream Art project together.
Henry Stubbert, age 17, paints his mural for UpStream Art project in 2022. To date, he has been the youngest artist hired for the project.