Any old artist can find inspiration in Natick’s historic buildings, open spaces, and dare I say, the Charles River dam. But it will be the truly exceptional creator whose passion can be stirred by the town’s stormwater drainage and management system.
The town and Natick Center Cultural District are seeking amateur and professional artists to submit proposals for designs that will serve both to calm traffic at the intersection of Rtes. 27 and 135 in Natick Center (see map below) and educate the public about stormwater management.
Don’t let this opportunity go down the drain: Entries are due by Feb. 13, and only one artist will be chosen to complete the entire project this spring. A $5K stipend goes to the victor to cover costs.
The paintings on Natick’s impervious street pavement will cover up the earlier batch that has begun to fade, and celebrate everything from catch basins to flood mitigation to stormwater pollution. “Proposals should be positive, original, and colorful and should directly connect to stormwater,” the Call for Artists explains.
In other words, get your mind out of the gutters.
The public art will be part of a larger climate resiliency planning project in Natick, which is taking part in the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Project.
If you’re not naturally fired up by this topic, or even just puzzled about it, you’re invited to hit up Claire Rundelli, Natick’s Conservation Agent, for a Zoom call.
While the public in Natick might need to learn a thing or two about stormwater management, property owners in adjacent Wellesley have received a rapid education thanks to a new “enterprise stormwater fund” that proponents market as “not an additional tax”—but that taxpayers will support this year in the form of… an additional utility bill.
I don’t plan to submit designs for the Natick contest, but it just might inspire me to paint our sump pumps, which could use a bit of touching up after their heroic performance this winter.
