River Market / Downtown

Jordan Karpe

Symmetry

Artist Bio: A graduate of the University of Central Arkansas in Studio Art, Jordan Karpe splits his time between painting projects and graduate school for an MAT in Secondary Mathematics. His artistic passion is community art projects including large scale murals. His mural work can be seen in Little Rock, Arkadelphia and Conway. He says “I think this drain art project is a fantastic demonstration of how to be informative and expressive. I had the pleasure of working on last year’s first Drain Smart project in Little Rock. I really enjoyed the process and people, and would look forward to another opportunity to contribute to public art in Little Rock.”

Design Concept: The concept of the piece was to convey a clear message in an eye-catching manner. Combining artistic and design sensibilities, I wanted to bring attention to not only the design, but the intended function of the drain itself. While not commercial, this is a project that combines art and informational advertising. In this case, the message of keeping waterways clean is conveyed by the clean line aesthetic and symmetry of the design. The color scheme was chosen to echo the color scheme of the nearby Creative Corridor Project logo. I wanted the design to be playful but straightforward in its message. ​

Kiley Coleman

Holding Little Rock

Artist Bio: As an artist she goes by the name of Kileyfornia. To most of her peers it’s just Kiley and if we’re getting official its Kiley Coleman. She’s 22 and an art student at the University of Arkansas where her emphasis is Sculpture (though she dabbles in just about every medium). Needless, to say she spends most of her days working on art. It’s by far her biggest passion. Creating art is her reason for getting up every morning. It’s her motivation to become her best self.  Creation allows her to express herself without any limitations to her imagination. She graduated this fall and plans to continue to pursue a career as an artist.

Design Concept: ​As someone who spent many days in Little Rock, I feel as though I hold a little bit of Little Rock with me no matter where I am. I wanted to create something that explained not only my personal love of Little Rock and its culture, but also the love Little Rock has for its people. Those who aren’t from Little Rock don’t understand. It doesn’t matter who you are, how much money is in your pocket, what neighborhood you call home, etc., we’re a community. I’ve spent nights walking the bridge aimlessly overlooking the water trying to figure life out. I know I’m not the only one. There’s a reason so many Arkansas natives choose to gather near the river while making memories. We’ve got to keep the Arkansas River and Little Rock beautiful so we can all continue to make those memories.

Emma Presley

Water is a Work of Art

Design Concept: My design for the installation is inspired by some of the most pivotal events in my life. The dancers represent my childhood as a dancer and my everlasting love for dance. Chihuly inspired designs around the dancers are representative of my 6 weeks at Arkansas Governor’s School. It was the best summer of my life because I was able to grow as an artist and as a person. The friends I’ve met there will be friends for a lifetime. Even though my style consists of detailed pen and ink designs, I wanted to create something fluid and colorful for both the theme of the installation and to represent freedom of expression. My artwork for this project has two goals: 1) to make people happy when they look at it, and 2) to remind viewers of their favorite artists and artworks that have inspired them.

Artist Bio: I am a senior at Little Rock Central High School and will be attending the University of Arkansas for engineering next year. I have always had an affinity for drawing. I took art classes all four years of high school and have learned so much about my own style because of it. It was at Governor’s School that I first experienced Chihuly’s artwork that has inspired “Water Dancers.” I have also been a member of Arkansas Young Artists Association (art club) for the past four years. I have competed in the annual AYAA state-wide competition since joining and am extremely proud to say I have won in at least one category every year. I have placed in the scratchboard, pen/ink, mixed-media, on-site, low-relief, oil pastel, and cut collage categories. Although I’ll be studying engineering, I will always be an artist. I will continue to be a patron and a supporter of the fine arts. I consider pursuing a career in engineering as an extension of my artistic creativity. I want to take my art to the next level through real world applications. Although I have learned more about my art and myself in the past four years than I could’ve ever imagined, I know I have so much more to learn. I can’t wait to see how much I grow in the years to come.

Daniella Napolitano

Sunset Herons

RETIRED (2016-2018)

Artist Bio: Daniella Napolitano is an artist currently living and working in Little Rock, AR. She draws her inspiration from nature and is fascinated by how people interact with the environment. She studied studio art and graphic design at American University in Washington, DC and currently works at the Arkansas Arts Center. 

Design Concept: My interest in nature started at an early age in Florida where you were just as likely to spot an alligator in a pond as you would a duck. Growing up in Arkansas only strengthened that interest. I still love spotting birds and other animals in the creeks around Little Rock. Great blue herons have always been one of my favorite birds to see. They are so big you can’t help but stare. I hope by using them in my design that people will stop, look at the drain, and become more aware about where the water flows. I wanted to focus on animals that are native to Arkansas because they are the ones being affected by our pollution.  

Tina Oppenheimer

One Fish, Two Fish

Artist Bio: A relentless individualist, I was always “artistic” and particularly liked to draw. I was enveloped in the ornamentalism of old European craftsmanship while a teen at Moseley Road School of Art in Birmingham, England. “Wall” art started to seem frivolous to me. At that point, I committed my own creativity to art that was functional. Though I always continued drawing, I poured my “art” into Crocheting. The hook was my brush, and the yarn my paint; creating things to be used, worn, walked on, sat upon, wrapped in and snuggled under. In the 70’s, I came to Arkansas as a gypsy back-to-the-lander. With a continued commitment to utilitarian art, I began my greeting card business, Ozark Cards, over twenty years ago. My original, hand glittered cards are widely available throughout Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas. I make a living making those greeting cards, and crocheting any & everything I can.  In 2013, I started painting Storm Drains & Utility Boxes in Fayetteville.
 
Design Concept: This design suggests a bird’s eye view of the hard, square shapes of the Clinton Presidential Library and the city, surrounding a whirlpool of softer, rounder shapes of clear rainwater, with swirling unfurling green leaves, tumbling around and down the drain on a vivacious journey to the river. They're off to refresh nature's art and return to bathe us again. I included the cheery, bright-eyed Dr. Seuss fish as a nod to the Clinton Museum exhibit I enjoyed so much a few years ago. It is as if they liked it here so much they took up residency in our River after the exhibit ended.