Artist educator Andrew Oesch works on a mural that labels water management systems within Roger Williams Park in Providence .

The Rain Harvest Arts Festival is a free , outdoor , family-friendly celebration of water , life , science , art and community in Roger Williams Park on June 12 from 2 to 6 p . m . The festival ’ s theme is caring for water , and home base is the area around the Boat House . The park has long been plagued by contaminated storm runoff , which fouls its lakes and ultimately flows into Narragansett Bay . Over the last several years , more than forty green infrastructure projects have been implemented in and around RWP ; if you ’ ve walked through the park lately , you ’ ve probably passed berms , bioswales and other installations — some of which look like patios and gardens — whose function is to combat flooding and water pollution . The festival is sponsored by the Providence Stormwater Innovation Center , and will teach kids and adults about the science behind reducing stormwater runoff . “ It ’ s making the invisible systems visible ,” says Providence teaching-artist Andrew Oesch , one of the event ’ s orchestrators . Oesch and fellow artist and organizer Holly Ewald note that storytellers , musicians and artists will help forge these links . “ The goal is to connect the dots about where the water goes ,” says Oesch . Among the artists are a team from Central High School ’ s New Urban Arts Knights program who will paint a mural designed by local students . Hands-on activities include a scavenger hunt , chalk-drawing and decorating flags adorning a trail that links activities . Renewal figures strongly in the day ’ s events , which will also include water-quality testing , a ritual power-washing of the previous year ’ s mural and a finale mixing science , art , conservation and a bit of magic . stormwaterinnovation . org / rainharvestartsfestival – TIM LEHNERT

PHOTOGRAPH ( THIS PAGE ): COURTESY OF STORMWATER INNOVATION CENTER / WOLF MATTHEWSON ; ( OPPOSITE ): PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LESLIE STREULI .

14 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2021