Local street art murals promote water quality awareness

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The sidewalks of downtown South Bend aren't exactly your usual studio canvas, but some Michiana area creators have been turning the pavement into pretty spectacular pieces.

"It's really amazing, I was actually looking this year just to be able to do more art, so being able to combine that with wanting to do more art, being able to put what I do on a day-to-day basis into that," said Ciera Mills, artist from South Bend.

And the proximity of the murals to storm drains isn't a coincidence, as the project aims to bring awareness to water quality. The brightly colored paintings aim to get people's attention who might be thinking of illegally dumping into the drains, which lead to the St. Joe River.

"We're trying to raise awareness about storm water and water quality, and ultimately, we're trying to make the public aware about what should go into storm drains, and to keep chemicals and pollutants out of storm water," said Jitin Kain, South Bend Deputy Director of Public Works. 

“We want to remind people that the pollutants that enter storm drains make their way into the St. Joseph River. Litter, yard waste, auto fluids..." Kain says.

Kain says he and his team partially drew inspiration for this project by seeing other communities doing something similar to raise awareness for water quality. They held a contest, inspired by a similar effort in Goshen. Winning designs were chosen, and the artists painted their creations near drains throughout downtown South Bend. Paint was provided by the city, and each artist was awarded $250.

And now,13 vibrant and meaningful murals can be found throughout downtown South Bend.

Stephanie Brown hails from Goshen, and she says she got inspiration from some of the animals who call the St. Joe River home.

"I started looking up local wildlife, we go hiking a lot, we do a lot of nature and art therapy in my house, so we picked animals that we see on a daily basis, that we love, and I went with ones that had colors that pop, so when you park a vehicle with the blue headlights, then it pops like a black light," said Stephanie Brown, artist from Goshen.

While these artists do get a chance to show off their artistic prowess, they recognize that being a voice for the animals makes this opportunity even greater.

"I hope people take away that just a reminder that there are other living things around us, and that, like the mural says, the river starts here, so everything that you do here will eventually make its way out to the St. Joseph River so hopefully they just remember that and think of the ducks," said Mills.