New Public Art Installations at ArtWalk This Saturday LCG Promotes Water Quality with Storm Drain Art

Visitors to this weekend’s Second Satruday ArtWalk can expect to see few new unique pieces that are not for sale. Lafayette Consolidated Government’s (LCG) Environmental Quality (EQ) Division’s 2019 Storm Drain Art Project will commence with five new art installations officially on display at Second Saturday Artwalk, May 11.

Back for its second year with beautiful results, the initiative educates the public on the issue of storm drain pollutants, while also creating unique public art. EQ collaborated with local artists to paint selected storm drains in honor of Lafayette’s greatest natural resource, the Vermilion River.

“We are excited for the second year of our storm drain art project,” stated EQ Manager Bess Foret. “It is an outstanding way to educate our community about the connection between our drainage system and the health of our local waterways, all while supporting public art and local artists. We hope to continue to expand the project, allowing for many more artistic variations on the message ‘Drains to Bayou.’”

As part of EQ’s water quality improvement efforts, the project is a fun and colorful reminder to the community of  the drains’ final destination, while raising awareness about the importance of keeping streets clean and brightening up a few of Lafayette’s high pedestrian-traffic drains. Five drains were painted for the second annual project. Local artists were asked to submit their eco-themed design for one of the following locations: Warehouse 535, Cajun Field, LaPlace Neighborhood and the Vermilion Street Garage and Paul Beaux Middle School. The artists’ designs are intended to increase awareness that pollutants on land can affect the water quality of the Vermilion since storm drains are “where the river meets the road.”

LCG encouraged participation through an open call to all artists in Lafayette Parish for storm drain art designs. Tripling last year’s submissions, 34 designs were submitted by artists of all ages for consideration. A panel was created by project partner, Acadiana Center for the Arts, to select the top designs.  

This year’s artists are:

Artist Name

Installation Title

Location

Sarah Fanguy

“Paddle Away Pollution”

Garfield St. at Warehouse 535

Trevor Navarre

“Critter Cleanup”

Reinhardt Dr. at Cajun Field

Chase Innes

“Droplets”

LaPlace Neighborhood, Simcoe and St. John St.

Hannah Gumbo

“Rosie on the Bayou”

Vermilion and Polk St.

Grace Paul

“Trash Isn’t a Diet”

South Orange St. at Paul Breaux Middle

The artists were paid for their work in accordance with the Artist Compensation Policy, which was adopted by Mayor-President Joel Robideaux through the CREATE initiative. “Lafayette is overflowing with gifted artists. We want to show that we respect their time and talent with appropriate payment for their contributions to Lafayette’s rich culture.”

The Storm Drain Art project is funded in part by the EQ Education Fund, Sherwin Williams and the Bayou Vermilion District, and made possible through the support and cooperation of Acadiana Center for the Arts, Bayou Vermilion Preservation Association, Habitat for Humanity, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

See the original five projects from design to completion at https://tinyurl.com/StormDrainArtWinners

Take a Virtual Tour of the 2018 & 2019 winning installations here: https://tinyurl.com/StormDrainArtMap

For more information contact Jackie at 337-291-8547, visit LafayetteLA.gov or email EnvironmentalQuality@LafayetteLA.gov.