SUPERIOR — Two seasoned sidewalk artists dove into action Monday, Aug. 8, creating paintings with an environmental message in downtown Superior.

A sun took shape under the brush of Anndrea Ploeger, whose mural is located on the 1400 block of Tower Avenue near the bus stop. A block away, flowers bloomed in Chelsea Branley’s piece on the corner of Belknap Street and Ogden Avenue.

Ploeger planned to add a rainbow trout and a sign asking passersby not to feed the fish. Branley aimed to include words in English and Ojibwe reflecting what people value about Superior: Community, family and Lake Superior.

The goal of the underfoot installations and three more that are planned for this summer is to raise awareness of stormwater pollution. Most storm drains in Superior direct rain and snowmelt from the streets to Superior’s streams, the St. Louis River estuary and eventually Lake Superior, according to Megan Hogfeldt, water resources specialist with the city’s Environmental Services Division.

Superior’s storm drain art project was launched in 2014, with six artists installing paintings around the city. In 2018, the project added six more art installations from local artists and residents. One additional installation was added in 2020.

Branley and Ploeger were tapped to paint storm drain art murals in 2018. Both said they were happy to create new pieces this year.

“It’s public, and Superior is such a nature, outdoorsy city so it’s perfect to have the art outside,” Ploeger said.

“I’m passionate about art and sharing it with my community, and I think this is really important to share with our community about the importance of pollution and the lake and how important the lake really is and how we should not take advantage of our water,” Branley said.

The 2022 installations are supported by the Northwest Wisconsin Lung Health Alliance and a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the state of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

A co-owner of Blue Arrow Boutique, which is a few steps from her mural, Ploeger said the trash can near the bus stop gets pretty full. Cigarette butts, in particular, are a common piece of litter found along that stretch of sidewalk. They take 10 years to break down in the environment, a fact Ploeger learned this year.

“So that’s kind of the hope to raise awareness, like please throw them in the trash can,” she said.

Although she didn’t pick where her mural would be painted, the business owner said having the art right outside her shop means she can answer questions people might have about it and keep an eye on the piece.

“There’s no excuse not to touch it up when I see in the spring when the plow comes through — I’ll be here,” Ploeger said.

This year’s other installations include the following:

Visit the city’s storm drain art project webpage for more information on the project and the artists.