Center Street

Kaitlin Rhodes

Barn Owl

Artist Bio: Kaitlin Rhodes is a twenty-four year old artist currently residing in Little Rock. She formally studied art under the instruction of Mrs. Dianne Roberts. Her favorite subject matter includes people and wildlife. She also enjoys the whimsy of modern fantasy style.
 
Design Concept: My piece, “Barn Owl,” is inspired by my favorite species of native Arkansas owl. I placed my subject in a fall setting perched majestically on a stump surrounded by colorful fallen leaves. I hope that it will remind visitors of nature’s beauty and the need to protect it.

Mandi Houk & Terre Tollett

Lazy River Cats

Artist Bios: Mandi Houk’s work has always been influenced by nature. Growing up on a farm in rural Arkansas, she gained an appreciation for the beauty in the world around us. Most of her latest work includes portraits of pets and decorative folk-art inspired pieces. Mandi often collaborates with her mother, Terre Tollett. Terre is an accomplished painter whose work features bright, colorful scenes of people and animals.
 
Design Concept: The piece shows two cats lying in fresh green grass and enjoying the beauty of nature. Wildflowers sway in the breeze, and minnows explore the sparkling waters of the creek below.

Jordan Karpe

Audubon Collage

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: For this year, I based my design up classic John James Audubon drawings of wildlife. I envision a collage of birds, flowers, and wildlife native to Arkansas. I want something that pops and brings attention to our own native flora and fauna.

Larry Crane

Calling Down the Rain

Artist Bios: Pulaski County Clerk, Larry Crane is an attorney and public official by trade and an artist by choice. He has, for the last several years, had a small studio downtown where he goes to paint at lunch, after work, and on weekends and holidays. Larry is a kayaker and rafter and has on many occasions attempted to call down the rains to fill the streams and rivers of our state… frequently to no avail.

Design Concept: This project would be titled “Calling Down the Rains.” The figure is that of a kayaker on shore beseeching the heavens for rain, which falls and flows down into the rivers and streams. The flow rushing down from the sky reads: “All Rains Drain to the Arkansas River.”

Mt. Saint Mary’s Honeybelles

Bee Smart

Artist Bio: The Mount Saint Mary Academy “HoneyBelles” are a team of students committed to creating a self-sustaining pollinators habitat to address the environmental concern of the declining population of the bee, avital component to modern agriculture. In hopes of putting an end to the decline of the bee population, the team spreads awareness of the environmental threat through actively involving the community in their goal and educating the community on how to effectively help the bees, and the ecosystem overall.
 
Design Concept: The artwork itself incorporates the significant role of bees in the ecosystem. The mandala is a symbol of the universe and, thus, signifies the universal presence and importance of bees in the environment. The mandala is visually similar to a flower. This comparison between the mandala and the flower is strengthened by the presence of bees in the design. The waves in the mandala signify the water which the storm drain empties into. The message “Bee Smart” in the top left reminds passersby to be mindful and respectful of the environment.

Tanya Hollifield & Anna Slitrova

Don’t Feed The Fish Your Trash

Artist Bios: My art spans mediums from commercial art to sculpture, painting and installation art. My latest endeavor has been reviving a 1920’s Spanish Revival apartment building in Little Rock. I much enjoy interactive or public art making and working with other artists. My other interests are social justice issues and environmental sustainability. In this Drain Smart project, I get to work with art for an environmental cause and in a social environment along with my foreign exchange student Anna Slitrova. Anna is a Czech exchange student highly interested in all kinds of art, science, yoga and meditation techniques.  She has been in Little Rock since July 2015 and during that time participated on lots of exciting art and volunteering opportunities with Tanya. She is very happy to be able to contribute on this environmental awareness initiative.
 
Design Concept: With the mouth wrapping around the drain hole, the idea that what ends up in the streets ends up in the mouth of the catfish or any living creature in the river is illustrated. By adding the background water with some of the trash that we see on the street, I hope the public will think more about what ends up in the river by flowing down our city’s storm drains.