The public is invited to join mural artists and representatives from the City of Norman — including staff and elected officials, including former Mayor Breea Clark — for a walkthrough of the latest round of Artful Inlets storm drain murals that were installed in April.

The Walkthrough Celebration takes place at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 25 at Colonial Estates Park, 1641 E. Lindsey, Norman.

This year’s selected artists include Jaiye Farrell, Kayla Hawkins, Sophie Miller, Haley Spradlin and the team of Valoree Biggs and Rachel Etters.

This in the fifth round of Artful Inlets, in which Norman Arts Council and the City of Norman have invited artists to submit designs that transform city storm infrastructure into works of public art. These artful inlets will educate and raise awareness that pollutants that go down storm drains have a devasting impact on our local water quality.

The City of Norman operates and maintains a series of underground pipes, open channels, ditches, and roadways used to collect or convey stormwater runoff from our homes and businesses to the nearest body of water, such as a creek, stream, or lake. In urban areas, stormwater runoff from hard surfaces, like roofs and driveways, flows along the side of the road until it reaches a storm drain, which is an opening or grate in the curb connected by pipes to the nearest waterbody.

Water and other materials that enter these storm drains are transported directly to our creeks and streams without any treatment. Some of the pollutants that enter our local creeks and streams with stormwater runoff include grass clippings, oil, trash, fertilizers, pesticides, and pet waste.

There are now 19 Artful Inlets across Norman, including locations in Downtown Norman, Lions Park and now on the east side of Norman at Colonial Estates Park.

Colonial Estates Park is in a historic site in Norman, nearby was the original camp of Abner Norman. Additionally, a tributary of Bishops Creek runs through the park, which is the actually connection to the City’s Stormwater system. Selected artwork was asked to have a stormwater and/or water quality theme, incorporating the slogan “Make Pollution History!”, as a nod to the history of the site.

Watch this Artful Inlets 2023 recap video to see the artists in action, learn more from city staff and get a look at how they brought new character to the east side Norman park!