FLOW Storm Drain Art Project Walking Tour

This Storm Drain art tour was created by the Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW). FLOW’s mission is to keep the Olentangy River and its tributaries clean and safe for all to enjoy, through public education, volunteer activities, and coordination with local decision-makers. Did you know that any garbage, waste, and chemicals that flow into stormwater drains in Olentangy Watershed lead to the Olentangy River, which is why education on "only rain should go down the drain" is so important.

To advocate for the river, we organized a Stormwater Drain Art Project. We put a call out to local artists to submit their design for an educational storm drain. The first implementation was at ten location in the University District along High Street.

The walking tour also suggests several environmental "challenges" that you can complete on your way through the tour. Small actions can lead to large-scale change. Enjoy the tour!

FLOW would love to see your Instagram photos with the art- If you're sharing photos on social media please tag @flowcolumbus and use the hashtag "#FLOWStormdrainArt".

We'd like to thank Caitie Funk, Kira Jones, Justin Smith, Chelbeigh Routte, Jeff Nogaj, and Alex Mui who started this Storymap as part of their 2022 Fall Capstone Project in the School of the Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University.

We'd also like to thank The University District Organization for their partnership, The Columbus Foundation for their financial support, Keep Columbus Beautiful for supplies, Sherwin Williams for a paint discount, photographer Mary Wheeler and all the volunteers that helped!

Artist Sam Kochan

Hi! My name is Sam Kochan, and I am a Junior at the Ohio State University, and I am majoring in Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife. I have always loved art and nature and have wanted to find ways in combining the two to make understanding conservation efforts more accessible. I am very excited to be able to present my artwork for this event 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  

This location is across the street from a COTA location. Using Public transportation is one of the most accessible ways to reduce your carbon footprint. COTA runs on entirely compressed natural gas instead of gasoline, making it an environmentally friendly alternative to taking your car to work every day. Here is a link to the  COTA  website.

Artist Donna McCarty-Estep

Donna Estep 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 has volunteered 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  

Artist Miriam Baranov

Miriam Baranov, 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.   @miriambaranov     https://www.miriambaranov.com   

A green effort you can make at this stop is to commit to using reusable bags when you go shopping or out with friends!

Artist Gaynelle Sloman

Originally from Charleston, WV, Gaynelle Sloman is an award-winning fine artist, designer, illustrator and filmmaker, living in Dublin, OH and holding BA degrees in Art and Psychology, having studied at WVU, UC and the Columbus College of Art & Design. Gaynelle owned a full service advertising & design agency for many years, continues to freelance and formally designed and illustrated personal Christmas cards, among other creative projects, for then Governor and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller IV, for his entire eight year term of office. Sloman's collage, "Reflections'' was selected for inclusion into the prestigious "Art in the Embassies Program", where it hung in the American Embassies in both Haiti and Ceylon, for four years each, as representative of American art. 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  

An environmental challenge for you to complete at this location is to follow FLOW on Instagram at  @FLOWcolumbus  to get updates on the art and to see what other work FLOW is doing, don't forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter!

Artist Caroline Cable

Caroline will be a fourth year Evolution and Ecology major and Studio Art minor this autumn at The Ohio State University! She is very passionate about environmentalism and is thankful for the opportunity to express this through her artwork!

While there is so much traffic in this area, trash acummultes in the street very quickly. As students walk home. This walking tour challenges you to pick up a piece of trash and throw it out properly before you continue to the next stop!

Dexter Komakaru

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. Over the years he has built a career out of 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. His work is influenced by the intersections of his lived experience, queer and mixed-race identity, and cultural lineage.  @dxtrose ,   www.dextrose.com  

Right across from Ohio State’s Wexner Center for the Arts, and central to many High Street businesses and intersections, this storm drain sees many people coming and going. A brand new Barrio mere feet away from the storm drain is sure to attract many potential viewers to whatever art may reside here.

Artist Jennifer Nicole Murray

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  

An environmental challenge to complete at this stop is to calculate your carbon footprint from the   EPA's website  !

Artist Elaine Bell

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.  @alltradesdesignco  ,   https://www.alltradesdesignco.com  

Located right by a few of campus’ most popular hangout spots. Right by the Ohio Union and COTA bus stops, this location is truly a treasure trove of potential viewers. While walking the tour, remember to bring a reusable cup in case you want a drink. This way you won't have to use a single-use plastic one!

Artist Cindy Bryden  @artbycjbryden 

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. Acrylics are her first choice of painting medium but she also enjoys working in watercolor, mixed media and drawing in pen and ink. She is currently exploring the use of recycled and found objects to create mixed media pieces in both 2-D & 3-D works of art. Her favorite material is mylar balloons, their shinny surface reflects the light and adds movement to the art. They take a very long time to decompose in a landfill so better to incorporate them into a piece of art. She is currently working on a series, Artic Adventure that is incorporating mixed media elements and exploring the vast wilderness of life above the Arctic Circle. She is fortunate to have received a Greater Columbus Art Council Award to work on this project. Her work can be found on display at Mr Sushi in Dublin, Ohio, and First Community Village in Upper Arlington, Ohio, through the months of May and June.

Right in front of the UDF on High Street and many restaurants/businesses, this storm drain sees a lot of foot traffic. Located on the corner of E 12th street, many students and residents will travel through on their way to nearby bus stops and hangout spots.

Artist Ayuka Shichinohe  @ayukart_ 

Hello I'm Ayuka! Illustration, plushie making and industrial design is my thing! I am also the creator of Fish With Legs plushies! Creating whimsical marine life inspired art for people is my passion! Check out my work on instagram!

At this storm drain, FLOW encourages you to consider how much waste you produce in a day, week, and month. There are so many easy ways to reduce the amount of waste you produce, that could potentially end up in waterways. Take a moment here to think of some ways you can challenge yourself!

From FLOW and the OSU Capstone Group, we sincerely hope you enjoyed your stroll through the Storm Drain Art Project! Hopefully you walk away with some new knowledge of sustainable habits, and learned how you can better protect your local waterways. Sustainability is a commitment, but a few small lifestyle change can make a world of a difference. Trash that flows through these storm drains end up in the Olentangy, so the river needs our help protecting it. We encourage you to implement some of the sustainability practices that are suggested throughout the tour, and visit the  FLOW website  to learn more about the watershed and how to support FLOW. Thank you!

Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed

Project Manager: Sara Gallaugher, Service Event Coordinator

Website:  https://www.FLOWOHIO.org/  

Facebook:  Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed 

Instagram:  FLOW Columbus 

Phone: 614-267-3386

Address: 1404 Goodale Blvd., Columbus, OH 43212