All artists, including students and seasoned professionals, are invited to apply to be a part of the 11th annual Rain Barrel Art Project, an initiative designed to educate the community about water conservation and pollution caused by stormwater runoff.

The Rain Barrel Art Project is a joint effort of Save Local Waters, its members and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. As part of this initiative, students and other community members throughout the Ohio River Valley are asked to submit artistic designs to beautify otherwise dull rain barrels that are then displayed at the Cincinnati Zoo and auctioned off to raise funds for conservation education.

“We are grateful to the artists who’ve contributed to this project for the past ten years. Their efforts have allowed us to raise awareness and encourage the use of rain barrels,” said Sara Fehring, of Save Local Waters. “Rain barrels are a great tool for conserving water and saving money, and through the Rain Barrel Art Project we’ve so far been able to place over 400 rain barrels at homes and businesses throughout the Ohio River Valley and surrounding states.”

Artists who wish to submit a design for consideration must do so by December 16, 2022, through an online form at www.savelocalwaters.org/participate, where additional instructions and submittal tips can be found. Designs will be selected and announced on December 23, 2022. Artists whose designs are selected will be asked to attend an artist workshop on January 7, 2023, to pick up their rain barrels and learn techniques for applying their design. Finished rain barrels must be returned on March 25 or 27. They will remain on display at the Cincinnati Zoo until April 27th. Rain barrels will be auctioned via eBay auction, with the auction closing on April 28^th at 10am.

For more information regarding the Rain Barrel Art Project or Save Local Waters, contact Sara Fehring at 513-772-7645 or visit the website at www.savelocalwaters.org.

About Save Local Waters

Save Local Waters is the creation of the Regional Storm Water Collaborative of Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky, an organization focused on sharing resources to better leverage mass media and raise awareness concerning water quality issues in the Ohio River Valley. The collaborative is composed of storm water districts, municipalities, and soil and water conservation districts in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky.