Calling All Artists Who Love Our Rivers To Create Storm Drain Murals
If you’re an artist, take your creativity to the streets by designing, applying, and painting a colorful storm drain mural as part of Clean Drains Fort Wayne: Be River SmArt. The time to get involved is now and sign up is easy.
Using the message “Only Rain in the Drain,” Clean Drains Fort Wayne enters its sixth year using art for education and action to raise awareness and enlist every resident in the campaign to safeguard our waterways.
What flows into a storm drain doesn’t disappear. Rainwater carries litter, oil, chemicals, and debris from streets and yards directly into local creeks, streams, and rivers. When these substances flow into curbside storm drains, they pollute our rivers. Clean Drains makes everyone a guardian of our storm drains – the gateways to our rivers.
Since the program began, artists and volunteers have created more than 100 storm drain murals across Fort Wayne neighborhoods. At the same time, thousands of residents, from small children to seniors, have stepped up to clean and mark storm drains, helping keep pollution out of the creeks, streams, and rivers that flow through their communities.
Selected artists will paint their designs directly onto the area surrounding the storm drains during August. Often in busy and highly visible locations, the painting process becomes part of the story, sparking conversations and reminding passersby that protecting rivers starts at the curb.
Artists of all skill levels and ages are invited to apply for the program. Applications can be submitted online at form.jotform.com/260214019675151, with a submission deadline of April 12, 2026. Final selections will be announced May 11, 2026, by the Fort Wayne Public Art Commission. Selected artists will paint their murals during the scheduled painting dates of August 15–23, 2026.
Clean Drains is more than an art program — it’s a neighborhood effort. Residents, families, schools, and community groups are needed to mark and clean storm drains to help protect local rivers.
Each volunteer will receive a kit containing drain placards, cleaning supplies, chalk for kids’ sidewalk drawings, and T-shirts for those who clean. Volunteers can register at CleanDrainsInTheFort.org.
The initiative is led by City Utilities in partnership with Art This Way and Downtown Fort Wayne.
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