Knox County Stormwater: Storm Drain Style-Off
September 7-28, 2018
Knox County Stormwater: Storm Drain Style-Off
Opening reception: Friday, September 7, 5:00-9:00 PM
Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
In 2017, nine local artists painted colorful, original murals at Knox County libraries (Bearden branch and Karns branch) to raise awareness about water pollution. These beautiful paintings are whimsical and playful yet convey the message that individuals can make a difference for our streams by not using storm drains as trash bins. The Knox County Stormwater and Library departments held a design contest open to all artists. The aim of the contest was to bring visibility to water issues through the artists’ imagination and creative talent.
In its second year, the 2018 Storm Drain Style-Off contest reimagines traditional approaches to public outreach and connects to communities through art. During August, select artists painted colorful scenes and interpretations of stream life as a means of educating the public about throwing away trash, pet waste, oil, and grass clippings properly instead of into a storm drain. These items have devastating effects on stream life if they are discarded into a storm drain because our storm drains lead directly into the streams and rivers. These works of art can be viewed at five Knox County libraries: Cedar Bluff Branch, Fountain City Branch, Halls Branch, Howard Pinkston Branch and North Knoxville Branch.
The public may vote for their favorite design starting Friday, September 7, to coincide with the First Friday Opening Reception of the exhibition showing photos of the paintings. Voting will last until September 30, 2018. The following artists were selected to paint a small mural at a library storm drain: Mene Manresa Bodipo, Cedar Bluff branch; Eric Johnson, Howard Pinkston branch; David Jones, Fountain City branch; Christine Palmer, Howard Pinkston branch; Corelli-Corey Pope and Elli McNall (team), North Knox branch; Genevieve Trent, Fountain City branch; Makala Wetherbie, Halls branch; Julia Widby, Cedar Bluff branch; and Thomas Zachary, Howard Pinkston branch. For more information, visit https://www.knoxcounty.org/stormwater/strong_streams_art.php.