After traveling to Ethiopia in 2007 and witnessing the water crisis there, Artist and filmmaker Mary Jordan, the founder of Word Above the Street and the Water Tank Project, explained in a statement “We are creating symbols of water abundance and raising awareness about our global water issue, one tank at a time. My hope is that everyone everywhere is inspired by the Project, and is encouraged to learn how they can make a difference.”

Have you ever wanted to see cool street art or public art by famous painters or photographers hanging around in different corners of the city? NYC is the place for you! Where every crevice seems to be open game for artists. A public art endeavor that’s bringing work by major figures like Laurie Simmons, John Baldessari, Catherine Opie, Mickalene Thomas, Kenny Scharf, Carrie Mae Weems and Ed Ruscha to the roofs of New York. Thus, the Project turns unassuming water tanks into canvases; Word Above The Street has started an organized campaign which aims to takeover 100 water tanks in total.

While the Children’s Movement for Creative Education is helping to develop a curriculum titled “Trace the Tap”, which is meant to educate students on the importance of clean water and profound world events. As according to the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, around 1.2 billion people, or almost one-fifth of the world’s population, live in areas of physical water scarcity, while 1.6 billion people (one quarter of the world’s population) face economic water shortage. Whereas, Bolted steel tanks are a convenient storage solution of water for that issue as they are found to be extremely versatile, and offer several advantages. Besides, they can store just about any material from water to food products.

In Chelsea, SoHo and the Financial District, five tank artworks have popped up so far! You can also use these artworks on your smart hub devices to teach your kids the importance of water and other things.

In order to transfer the art to the water tanks, which are generally made of redwood, the Project will print the works on vinyl material and install them on top of existing tanks. The Isseks Brothers, a family-owned business dating back to 1890 that constructs and maintains water tanks, is installing the artwork. With the measurements of 12-feet-tall and 13-feet-wide , the Water Project is turning unassuming water tanks into canvases!

For the full preview of the completed water tanks and other deets, head over to the Water Tank Project site to follow the progress of the upcoming works.