The Art of Chalk by Tracy Lee Stum

Author:Tracy Lee Stum
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rockport Publishers
Published: 2016-01-05T16:00:00+00:00

The artist’s sensitivity to line and form are evident in this Madonna and Child by Vero Gonzalez.

Robert Guillemin, also known as “Sidewalk Sam,” was an early proponent of street painting in the Americas. Having studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Guillemin may have first been introduced to street painting in France. He began drawing on Boston and Cambridge city streets in 1973, creating copies of famous masterworks in chalk. By 1980 “Sidewalk Sam” had transformed more than 300 street corners all over the world into ephemeral artworks. Guillemin organized numerous chalk drawing festivals and participatory art events to support arts education and cultural expansion. He believed that art needed to connect with a wider and more inclusive audience, which was why he chose to take his work to the street.

In 1986, the Santa Barbara I Madonnari Festival was founded by Children’s Creative Project Director Kathy Koury. Koury developed a unique festival model, which brought local businesses together with regional artists to present the first event of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Benefiting the Children’s Creative Project and developed as a fund raiser for the nonprofit organization, a Santa Barbara County Educational Office arts program, this event takes place annually, typically featuring over 400 local and invited guest artists who come to draw before the Old Mission for three days on Memorial Day weekend every year. This festival opened the door to a wider range of participants by allowing all styles of imagery to be displayed, which proved to be quite popular in the U.S.

In 1994 there were fewer than half a dozen festivals taking place in the U.S. and several in Europe. Now there are literally close to 100 all over the world. The advent of the Internet has helped, with wildly popular, “viral” 3D images from a variety of artists inspiring new generations of young artists to “take it to the street.” From small communities to educational institutions to large city initiatives, street painting festivals are growing exponentially, bringing artists together for a true meeting of spontaneous creativity.

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