ORLANDO, Fla. — If you’re not careful in Orlando, you can trip over art.
- Part of 2016 Drain Art Program
- 25 storm drains painted in Orlando
- WHERE'S THE #ARTINCENTRALFL? Know of an amazing piece of public art where you live? A mural, a painted utility box, a sculpture? Send it to us using the Spectrum News 13 app, or tag us on Instagram with the hashtag #ArtinCentralFl. We'll share a new piece each week.
I was leaving the new Eola General Market on Amelia Street a few weeks ago when I stepped awkwardly near the curb and had to reposition my feet. When I looked down, I was standing on a painting: a storm drain painted dark blue, framed with white and blue flowers. The manhole cover was painted a golden yellow with the words “Only rain down the drain” scrawled on it.
And a few weeks later, I found a few more along Central Boulevard, across from Lake Lawsona.
So I asked the city of Orlando.
This was part of a program created in 2016 called the Art Drain Project.
The Mills 50 and Thornton Park Districts used a Mayor’s Matching Grant to commission artists to paint storm drains, with the message “only rain down the drain.”
The goal of the program was to raise awareness about the city’s stormwater system, and the fact that anything that goes down the storm drain could end up in Florida’s waterways.
This program is no longer happening right now, but the art remains.
The Mills 50 district website has a page that shows you all of the artwork, where it is, and who painted it. To see the 25 pieces, head to the Mills 50 website.