Flow Storm Drain Art
When Environmentalism Meets Public Art
Did you know storm drains empty straight into our waterways?
Through an environmental education grant via the Columbus Foundation, the Friends of the Lower Olentangy (FLOW) partnered with the University District Organization and local artists to create the first set of 10 storm drain sidewalk murals along the east side of High Street from Oakland Ave to 11th Ave.
how it started:
In an effort to mitigate damage to our ecosystems, the FLOW set out to create awareness about the dangers of polluting our waterways through litter, toxins and debris of our storm drains.
And what better way to educate about where our water leads to than to transform the storm drains themselves into their own environmental education campaign. “Only Rain Down the Drain” aims to catch the pedestrian’s eye with a bright mural and a simple message to keep our waterways and their wildlife inhabitants happy & healthy.
how it’s going:
Through a blind selection process, FLOW and UDO selected 10 local artists to create sidewalk murals that incorporated the message “Only Rain Down the Drain.”
The selected artists are: Ayuka Shichinohe @ayukart_ // Cindy Bryden @artbycjbryden // Caroline Cable // Dexter Komakaru @dxtrose // Donna McCarty-Estep @donnaestep // Elaine Bell @alltradesdesignco // Gaynelle Sloman @Gaynelleimagines // Jennifer Nicole Murray @JenniferNicoleMurray // Miriam Baranov @miriambaranov // Sam Kochan, @melli.feraa
The result is a collection of unique pieces effortlessly intertwining environmental advocacy and public art. Scroll down to see the final products
Sam Kochan // Oakland & High Street // Sam Kochan, is a Junior at the Ohio State University majoring in Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife. Their love of art and nature always finds them combining the two to make understanding conservation efforts more accessible. A self taught artist, Sam is excited to present their artwork to help bring more awareness to the importance of maintaining our storm drains in order to ensure the health of the Olentangy River and the wildlife that lives in it. @melli.feraa
Donna McCarty-Estep // Norwich & High Street // Donna is a multi-disciplinary painter, printmaker, and arts facilitator that calls Columbus, Ohio home. Since 2009, she has created bright and bold pop art flavored portraits along with exploring many other types of media, including relief printmaking. She is an arts facilitator and volunteer for many local arts organizations over the years. Creating art and opportunities for local artists are the things that drive her zest for life. @donnaestep
Miriam Baranov // Frambes & High Street // Miriam, a representational artist who specializes in creating vibrant portraiture that tells a story of the sitter through the Classical Realism style. Her artwork has been exhibited in numerous shows nationally and internationally and earned her various awards, including a finalist spot at Modportrait. Miriam studied Actuarial Science at Ohio State University with a minor in Studio Arts & Business. Additionally, she received classical training in human figure and portraiture at Golden Gate Atelier in Oakland, California, under Andrew Ameral. https://www.miriambaranov.com @miriambaranov
Gaynelle Sloman // Woodruff & High Street // Originally from Charleston, WV, Gaynelle Sloman is an award-winning fine artist, designer, illustrator and filmmaker. She holds BA degrees in Psychology and Art through her studies at WVU, UC and the Columbus College of Art & Design. Gaynelle's career contains may highlights. Most recently, Gaynelle's environmental mixed media artwork was chosen by The United Nations and World Climate Museum, to be made into a flag, honoring Earth Day and World Environment Day, where it recently flew, with others, around the iconic skating rink at Rockefeller Center! Gaynelle is a recent recipient of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, Fund for Artists Grant and continues to create her unique and colorful, acrylic and mixed media works for various juried and gallery shows, both regionally and nationally. @Gaynelleimagines
Caroline Cable // 17th Avenue & North High Street // Caroline is a fourth year Evolution and Ecology major and Studio Art minor at The Ohio State University! She is very passionate about environmentalism and thankful for the opportunity to express this through her artwork!
Dexter Komakaru // 1912 North High Street // Dexter Komakaru is the queer artist behind his one-man creative studio DXTROSE, based out of his home studio in Central Ohio. Viewing his story as his superpower, he uses the hardships he's experienced as fuel for his creative fire. His career combines visual arts, content creation, and creativity around a mission of ART, ACTIVISM, ACCESS: sharing his insights, experiences, and education on art and activism with others by making the information, resources, and work accessible. He is influenced by the intersections of his lived experience, queer and mixed-race identity, and cultural lineage. www.dextrose.com @dxtrose
Jennifer Nicole Murray // 14th Avenue & High Street // Jennifer Nicole Murray was born and raised in Westerville, Ohio and graduated with her BFA in Painting from the Rhode School of Design in 2015. Outside of her art, her hobbies include taking care of hundreds of houseplants, turning her yard into a haven for native pollinators and living a more sustainable lifestyle. She currently lives in Columbus with her partner and cat, Figlet. @jennifernicolemurray
Elaine Bell // 1762 North High Street // Elaine Bell is a mural artist, University District resident, and founder of the mural design studio, All Trades Design Co. Bell works with businesses in Ohio and beyond to create iconic murals that tell a business's story and inspire joy for their customers and clients. You can find their work in the Gateway Plaza on OSU campus, on the ceiling of Mercury Diner and Cauldron Tattoo, and on the windows of 16th and High. As a resident of University District, Bell is excited to create a piece for FLOW that gives back to her community. www.alltradesdesignco.com @alltradesdesignco
Cindy Bryden // 12th Avenue & High Street // Cindy received a Bachelor’s of Science from the Ohio State University with a degree in Industrial Design, Visual Communications. Though spending many years in the architectural world has helped her notice details, her primary form of expression is the impressionist style and she enjoys plein air painting. She considers herself to be a realist painter and enjoys working on landscapes and botanicals. Animals figure prominently in her work and she accepts commissions of equine and pet portraits. She works primarily from her own photography, and enjoys capturing the personality of her subjects in her paintings. @artbycjbryden
Ayuka Shichinohe // 11th Avenue & High Street // Ayuka is a current CCAD student with a joy for creating through illustration, plushie making and innovative industrial design. She is also the creator of Fish With Legs plushies! Creating whimsical marine life inspired art for people is her passion. Check out more of Ayuka's work on instagram. @ayukart_