The Town of Blacksburg has opened up the third annual Storm Drain Mural Project design competition.
To raise awareness of the water quality impacts of pollution entering our waterways via storm drains, the Town of Blacksburg has partnered with local artists to install four original murals on selected storm drains in the downtown area. The town is particularly grateful for the assistance of the Blacksburg Regional Arts Association for providing valuable feedback as the program guidelines were developed and helping to publicize it with area artists.
Artists over the age of 18 are invited to submit an original design to raise public awareness of the choices and changes we can all make to restore the health of our local waterways while addressing one or more of these themes: The Town of Blacksburg’s Freshwater Heritage; The Protection of Stroubles Creek; and/or New River Watershed’s Natural Beauty: local wildlife, healthy habitat & natural beauty.
A committee of judges will select designs that are graphically bold with clear messages and the potential to engage audiences of all ages. Design submissions will be accepted through March 20. Artists whose designs are selected will receive a $350 stipend for their completed works.
The town will supply a maximum of five colors of paint at no cost to the artist, along with some incidental supplies such as drop cloths and tape. Brushes and all other supplies must be provided by the artist.
For durability of the work, the artists will be required to use a particular type/brand of outdoor and pavement-appropriate paint.
Selected artists will be directed to a local paint store where they may choose their desired colors.
Artists are encouraged to submit a design that could be readily adjusted and/or scaled to match the specific dimensions of the site. Each storm drain is made of concrete with a metal manhole cover on top, or a slatted grate. On average, the drains measure approximately 10’ in length, 3.5’ in width at the short end.
Artists may submit more than one design concept.
Designs must be painted on the area surrounding the drain and must run to or incorporate the drain. The lip of the drain where it connects to the street is approximately 8″ high. Artists may paint into the street up to one foot beyond the lip.
Artists must submit the proposed piece in digital format with sufficient detail so the selection team can discern aesthetic intent and proposed color scheme. All entries are to be submitted to the stormwater@blacksburg.gov email address. If an artist’s file size is greater than 5MB, then simply email it to the storm water address prior to submission and a link to an ftp site will be provided.
Winning artists will be selected by March 27, 2020. All proposals will be evaluated on integration of the themes, artistic merit, clarity of messaging, and storm drain integration.
Artists will be notified on or before April 1 if they have been conditionally selected as a winner (pending the signing of an artist agreement). Painting can begin in May, as soon as Virginia Tech graduation events are complete. All painting must be completed prior to July 31.
The first design competition was in early 2018, and local artists were encouraged to submit a design to raise public awareness of the choices (and changes) we can all make to restore the health of our local waterways.
In 2018, artists Michael St. Germain, Shoshana Levenson, Ben Oderwald and Nicole Hersch won the first competition and had the honor of drawing the town’s first-ever storm drain murals. At the time she won the competition, Shoshana Levenson was 21 years old and had lived in Blacksburg since her freshman year at Virginia Tech in 2015. Her original artwork can still be found at 208 Draper Rd. NW in front of Bollo’s Cafe and Bakery.
Michael St. Germain was a wildlife biologist within the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech when he won the first-ever competition. In concert with scientific endeavors, he also possesses a strong background in fine arts and music. He has contributed to several public arts projects in Blacksburg, including four of the “Gobble de Art” statues throughout town and the two watershed awareness murals along Draper Ave and Jackson St downtown. In 2018, he, his wife Shannon, and their son Jonathan (10) had lived in Blacksburg for some 20 years.
Ben Oderwald has the unique distinction of winning a spot in both of the first two competitions. He grew up in Blacksburg, left for college, spent time in New York City and returned because he considers Blacksburg as a one-of-a-kind place. His first mural graces the drain at 200 St. Main St. on the Jackson Street side of the Wells Fargo building.
When she won in 2018, Nicole Hersch was a dual Masters student in landscape architecture and natural resources at Virginia Tech. Originally from San Diego, she moved to Blacksburg in 2017, transferring from Tech’s Washington Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC) where she studied the previous two years. When she created the mural that can be found at 220 N. Main St. behind Sharkey’s, she was working on her thesis, which involved studying vegetative patterns along drainage ways within the Stroubles Creek Watershed.
In 2019, artists Elisabeth Dellinger, Mary Ratliff, Ben Oderwald and Nikki Pynn showed their talents at four storm drain sites. Dellinger created Meandering Salamanders on Lee Street along the Tech bookstore. Ratliff fashioned Strouble Creek Fish at 141 Jackson Street in front of the old town hall. Drawing his second mural, titled Eastern Divide, Oderwald left his artistic creation on Miller Street adjacent to the Huckleberry entrance. Pynn got fanciful with an Escaping Frog at the drain on Draper Road between the 7-11 and the Tech bookstore.
The 16 Frogs Project
The Town of Blacksburg, particularly the downtown area, is crisscrossed with numerous waterways that have been piped, channeled or otherwise covered over as the town grew during its 200+ year history. Today, most of these tributaries and streams are invisible, but a few can be seen in key locations around downtown.
As an effort to draw attention to the town’s now-hidden waterways, the 16 Frogs project was launched in early 2016, largely due to the efforts of Vice-Mayor (now Mayor) Leslie Hager-Smith. The project features 16 bronze frog statuettes, one for each of the town’s original 16 squares. These are placed strategically throughout the town, calling attention to the freshwater under and around the streets of Blacksburg while also noting placing of particular historic or cultural importance.
Each frog is named for an individual who played an important role in shaping the community we live in today. Modeled after the native Green Frog, (Lithobates clamitans), the frogs range from 6-12 inches in size, and sit on pavement, knee walls, storm water drains or sills. Now that all the frogs have found their permanent homes, the 16 Frogs committee volunteers are working hard to develop interactive programs for school-aged children and tour materials for all audiences.
The 16 frogs, their names and locations are as follows: 1) “Virginia,” Blacksburg Nature Center, Roanoke St. at Draper; 2) Phillip, Clay and Wharton streets; 3) Harriet, Washington St. in the open air; 4) Harvey; Main Street Inn; 5) Mary Louise, the Alexander Black House 6) A.G., the Five Chimneys Home; 7) Millie, the armory steps; 8) Nick, College Avenue at the Lyric Theatre; 9) Nanniebell, Progress St. Fire and Rescue; 10) Lindsay, Owens St. bridge near the head of Central Branch Stroubles; 11) Kelster, Main and Progress gas station; 12) Crawford, Webb St. and Prices Fork Road; 13) Gilbert Vaughn, Odd Fellows Hall at the original hydrant at the Webb Branch of Stroubles; 14) Lyle, Moss Arts Center at drainage down to Central Branch Stroubles; 15) ED. Frog, Margaret Beaks Elementary; 16) Bogen, Huckleberry Trail before Southgate.