~Media Opportunity~
When: 9:30am to 12:30pm on Thursday, July 20, 2023
Where: North Springfield on Yolanda Ave., between 20th St. and Corral Dr.
Who: The four Oregon artists painting the murals are available for interviews – Asante Riverwind, Barbara Counsil, Jennifer Reida, and Mike Brown. Staff from the City of Springfield’s Stormwater Team are also available for interviews.
Visuals: Artists with tarps, brushes, and paint cans will be painting colorful sidewalk murals next to storm drains along Yolanda Avenue in north Springfield. Shade canopies and traffic cones will be set up, plus an information table with brochures. The site is one block from Yolanda Elementary and Briggs Middle School. The public is invited, and passersby can stop to watch.
Background: Held every summer since 2016, the UpStream Art project currently has a collection of 33 unique and colorful sidewalk murals located in Springfield. On July 20-21, four more murals will be added to the collection. This year’s theme is “Clean rivers start here” and designs were chosen by a panel of judges from a pool of 26 applicants. Artists will be paid for their work. The public is invited to drop by and watch.
The UpStream Art project supports artists and raises awareness of the connection between City streets and local waterways, which happens at a storm drain. Everyone cares about clean water yet not everyone is aware of everyday activities that introduce pollution. We are fortunate to live in an area where water is abundant, yet that water is easy to pollute. It may seem that rain has a cleansing effect but anything that water can wash away flows into the stormwater system and out to the McKenzie and Willamette rivers. UpStream Art reminds community members that storm drains across the City empty into local waterways and it aims to inspire them to prevent water pollution in their neighborhood.
For UpStream Art project information: bit.ly/upstreamart.
For the UpStream Art Virtual Tour: bit.ly/upstreamtour.
Contact: Peter Jaeger, environmental technician and UpStream Art project lead, at 541.726.3693 or pjaeger@springfield-or.gov
For UpStream Art in 2022, Eugene artist Marlis painted cupped hands with water flowing down into a natural scene. “This shows how out-of-sight isn’t out-of-mind and how the water we touch or influence cycles back to us through nature,” she said.
Rae Matagora, an illustrator, graphic designer, and screen printer based in Eugene, painted a scene of lively aquatic animals for UpStream Art in 2022. “I wanted to depict the magic of our waterways and the fish filled world below in hopes people will be more conscious about what goes down the storm drains,” she said.