The Rain Barrel Painting Project integrates members of the School of Art and Horticulture Department to promote sustainability through water conservation while advocating for the arts. Rain barrels have been donated to the Herrick Conservatory that students and willing participants will treat as blank canvas to express their creativity for this fun artistic project.

There are a number of galleries around campus, downtown Kent, and in the Cleveland-Akron area that are seeking proposals for innovative collaborative projects. Painted rain barrels in a gallery setting present an inspiring approach for students to showcase their work in an ecologically restorative and culturally relevant way. The accompanying didactic messages and information panels surrounding the work in the galleries will be a part of an outreach program to promote water conservation and highlighting student research.

Many people talk about sustainability, or going green, but from my experience not many people actually do or live in ways that support the things they advocate. Rainwater doesn’t have the chemicals found in tap water thereby making it better for plants and soil. Rain barrels provide free irrigation for gardens and reduce harmful runoff into streams, rivers and lakes. Rain barrels are an inspiring example of environmental stewardship. If we can use painted rain barrels to promote sustainability and conservation while engaging people in creative collaboration, then this project will be a huge success. I believe that collaboration between art and science is long overdue.