Abby Klein creates a work of art Friday atop a storm drain on Tredegar Street near Brown’s Island as curious passers-by watch her progress. She is one of five artists selected by the Richmond Department of Public Utilities from 55 for the first phase of the Storm Drain Art Project. Ms. Klein’s work is titled, “You drop it, I drink it.” The other four artists who are painting drains along Tredegar Street are Alfonso Perez Acosta, Nicole Gomez, Melissa Greedy and Richard Lucente.
The city is paying a commission of $300 to each artist and later plans to award a $200 prize to the artist whose work the public votes as their favorite. The project was set up as a fun, creative approach to educate the public to keep the drains free of litter and not use the drains to get rid of oil and other toxins that could pollute the city’s waterways and, ultimately, the James River into which storm water flows.
