Clearwater Residents Encouraged To Beautify Public Spaces In 2020

CLEARWATER, FL — They're an inevitable fixture in any cityscape but, face it, Dumpsters and storm drains are hardly attractive.

The City of Clearwater, however, is recruiting residents and business people to lend their talents to turn these eyesores into works of art.

During the New Year, residents are encouraged to help beautify the city and turn Dumpsters and drains into meaningful public art by covering them in colorful murals.

The city kicked off its Storm Drain Mural Program Oct. 7 with a ribbon-cutting for the inaugural mural at the corner of Fort Harrison Avenue and Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater. The city commissioned Clearwater artist Beth Warmath to paint the first storm drain mural.

The Storm Drain Mural Program allows residents to beautify the city's storm drains while educating the community about the importance of keeping storm drains clean. Residents can select a storm drain within the city boundaries and create an appealing art design. The art must promote watershed conservation, ocean friendliness or litter prevention.

The initial design must be approved by city staff before the storm drain can be painted and the supplies can be checked out.The city will provide all the necessary supplies for free.

Many municipalities offer this program, but the city of Clearwater is one of few that provides all the necessary supplies free to residents, including paint, brushes and stencils.

This program is designed for artists of all levels including students who can earn volunteer service hours.

The city followed up in November by introducing its Dumpster Art Program in which residents are invited to paint murals on Dumpsters around the city.

"This program presents a unique opportunity to transform something that isn't traditionally beautiful into a work of art,” said Juliahna Green, neighborhoods coordinator for the City of Clearwater.

The city will provide the blank canvas -- the Dumpsters -- and all the necessary supplies. Participants need only to supply their time, creativity and ideas to beautify the Dumpsters located at schools, apartment buildings and businesses.

Applications can be submitted by individuals or teams and must specify the design and intended location. The city must approve the application before painting may begin.

“Projects like this have the power to brighten up street corners and bring communities together around a common project: a bright and beautiful Clearwater," Green said.

This is the fifth placemaking project the city launched in 2019. Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to planning, designing and managing public spaces that promote people's health, happiness and well-being.

Earlier this summer, the city introduced the placemaking projects Sidewalk Rain Art and Signal Box Art.

And, in October, the city initiated the Little Free Library program to promote literacy as well as community placemaking.

Under the Little Free Library, residents are encouraged to design and erect a public library box in to use as a free book exchange. The city encourages the use of recycled materials to create colorful book drops or residents can order a pre-made library that can be painted, decorated and installed in front of a coffee shop, public building, bus stop or school.

The goal is to place the free libraries in locations with high foot traffic to give people an opportunity to pick up or return books.

“In addition to supporting literacy and acting as a wonderful venue for public art, Little Free Libraries facilitate an amazing sense of community connection by giving neighbors a chance to meet each other and give back to each other,” Green said.

The city will officially launch its Placemaking Playbook featuring the five art projects in January. Residents interested in participating can visit the city's Placemaking Playbook site or contact Green at 727-562-4559 or neighborhoods@myclearwater.com or call (727) 562-4559.