Favorite entry in Chalk Walk 2014 by students of the STEM Academy.

It its sixth year at the Dogwood Arts Festival, Chalk Walk has again brought out artists young and old, amateur and professional to create ephemeral art from mere pieces of chalk.  Although last year’s Chalk Walk was mostly washed away by heavy rains only an hour or so after completion, this year’s event left lasting impressions in Krutch Park and Market Square downtown. And the crowds loved it! Sidewalks were packed as viewers moved cautiously, elbow-to-elbow, careful not to disturb those carefully shaded areas of the designated, marked-off squares.

Chalk Walk is art.  But it’s also an event.  And this year’s combined the best:  great weather, huge crowd, fabulous art!

Artists at Work

The artists were as much fun to watch as they moved in closely or stood up to get a better idea of how the work was flowing.  Sometimes they talked to the crowd; sometimes they worked in silence.  We found it fascinating to watch an artist and then return an hour later to check on the progress.

Artists sometimes worked together to share chalk — whether the rainbow shades came in neat boxes or in sacks of leftover pieces like children use on home driveways.  Jerry’s Artarama donated some of the chalk, but we have a feeling that there could have been several runs to the store for more as artists wore the pieces down to nubs.

Artists worked together to select and share the right colors

Sometimes we wondered if artists dressed to match their creations!

Baby powder was the medium of choice for the faces in this entry.

Teamwork helped Faith McDaniel, Katy Rivers, and Sam Artman create this dancing lady piece.

Curtis Glover dedicated his chalk drawings of the characters from Monsters, Inc., to his nephews, Anderson and Max.

Young Artists

Some of the best entries in the competition came from students.  Teams and soloists from area schools gave it their all in the hot sun — and made quite an impression with their creativity and detail.

Taking a picture of the entry by students at Blue Grass Elementary.

Loved this picture even more when we discovered the artist was only 14 years old!

An eighth grade student from Vine Middle School worked on this creative drawing and then talked with us about what inspired her.

Sent a picture of this colorful tiger done by students at West High to the LSU fans in my family!

Summer Meiling Finn, the 2013 People’s Choice Award winner, won again this year in the Middle School category.

Personal Faves

Of course, any time you go to an event like this, you have some standouts. Here are the ones we remember most . . . just because we like them.

The artist evaluates the many shades of color in this portrait of a lady.

Many hands — students from STEM Academy — worked on this dreamlike creation while the principal and teachers cheered them on!

If you live in Knoxville and you love the Vols, you’ll crowd around (like just about everyone did) to snap a picture of their favorite hound dog, Smokey!

About the only thing I can remember drawing with chalk during my lifetime is a hop-scotch grid, so I’m thinking we just may have to join our granddaughter when she creates something special in our driveway this summer.  After all, if  you mess up a chalk drawing, so what?  It’s not like we could compete with the artists on Market Square.  They’re good.

Emerson quote rang true with a lot of folks judging by the number of photos taken of it!

Chalk Walk 2014 was sponsored by Avanti Savoia.  Chairing this event were Kathy Slocum and Jim Dodson.

For more information, click here for the Dogwood Arts Festival Website.  You can also check out the history of street art as well as the winners in this year’s competition.

Filed under: Art Show, Artist, Festivals Tagged: Avanti Savoia, Chalk Walk, Dogwood Arts Festival, Jim Dodson, Kathy Slocum, Knoxville, Smokey, Tennessee ]]> http://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2014/04/11/chalk-one-up-for-fun-dogwoods-arts-2014-chalk-walk/feed/ 17 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 rushasams Chalk drawing by students at STEM Academy, Knoxville Chalk Walk 2014 sign Chalk Walk: color selection Chalk Walk: Colorful bird Chalk Walk: Artist using baby powder Teamwork for Chalk Walk Chalk Walk: Curtis Glover's entry Chalk Walk: Blue Grass Elementary Chalk Walk: Princess painting Chalk Walk: Entry from Vine Middle School West High Students draw tiger Chalk Walk: Summer Meiling finn Portrait of a lady with artist STEM students painting a dreamlike lady Chalk Walk: Smokey Chalk Walk: Emerson quote