Sculpture Engineered to Help With Storm Water Runoff to be Unveiled in Greenfield

November 11, 2016

A sculpture designed to capture rainwater and channel it toward a rain garden will be unveiled by the City of Greenfield on Tuesday, November 15 at 2:00 p.m. Designed and created by Alverno College students, the sculpture stands eight feet tall and is located at Greenfield's City Hall.

The project, which integrates art and environmental sciences, began with a partnership between Alverno, Stormwater Solutions Engineering, LLC (SSE), Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust, Inc. (SWWT), the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) and the City of Greenfield. The college's 46-acre campus is one of the largest privately-owned institutional green spaces on the Kinnickinnic River watershed area. In an effort to reduce storm water runoff from the City of Greenfield onto the Alverno campus, SSE worked with students to study the amount of storm water runoff and the quality of the runoff. Thanks to a grant from MMSD, Alverno College students, SSE and SWWT reached out to residents in the neighborhood just west of the college campus to raise awareness of rain barrels and green infrastructure like rain gardens. The grant also provided an opportunity for fine arts students to design a public art piece that celebrates the environment.

“Our students are thrilled to be working on a site specific sculpture, learning how to use new equipment, and learning different welding and shaping techniques while participating in a collaborative construction,” said Lynda Sommers, assistant professor of art at Alverno College.“This project is giving them a great opportunity to put their skills to work in a way that will benefit the environment while adding something beautiful to the community.”

Students involved in the project include Ashley Acker, Shavonne Alvarez, Keziah Bland, Samantha Bosanec, Cecilia Castro, Tai Hardie, Ann Kwiatkowski, Carly Lustig, Sarah McCutcheon, Cassandra Pike, Michele Pruitt, Jessica Schiller and Theodora Thompson. With Sommers assisting, students designed and fabricated the sculpture, and even learned airbrushing techniques from artist Mario Gonzales.Marty Zabel, owner of Forest Home Auto Body and Glass, generously donated the painting and clear coating of the piece.

The sculpture will be a permanent addition to the Greenfield City Hall grounds.