Calling all artists: Drain Smart UpStream Art needs volunteers

New stormdrain art is planned for Pine Bluff.

Artists are invited to join the effort by submitting an application by Tuesday, Sept. 18. Applications may be obtained by contacting the Jefferson County Extension Office at 870-534-1033 or jhpennington@uaex.edu.

​The Southeast Arkansas Stormwater Education Program is seeking artists to paint murals with educational messages on storm drains in Pine Bluff, White Hall, and Jefferson County as part of the Drain Smart UpStream Art project.

The project is a combination of two programs: UpStream Art and Drain Smart, which are carried out by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and Audubon Arkansas, respectively, according to a news release.
 
Over the past few years, both programs have worked in different areas of the state to increase awareness about storm drains, and address the common misperception that they channel runoff into water treatment facilities.
 
“The truth is that the drains actually empty into creeks and streams, without any treatment whatsoever,” said John Pennington, extension urban stormwater educator for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture in Jefferson County.
 
READ MORE...

---