35th Annual Cleveland Museum of Art Chalk Festival

Blog Date
Author(s)
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

35th Annual Chalk Festival, September 14–15, at the Cleveland Museum of Art

Artists of all ages and abilities are invited to participate in the 2024 Chalk Festival at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) on Saturday, September 14, and Sunday, September 15, noon to 5:00 p.m., rain or shine. This annual event, started in 1990, features sidewalk artistry by professional chalk artists and local community groups, families, and individuals, making the CMA’s south plaza and walkways through the Fine Arts Garden and Wade Lagoon come alive with color.

The Chalk Festival is a modern expression of a Renaissance tradition from 16th-century Italy in which artists copied paintings of the Madonna by Raphael and his contemporaries using chalk on the plazas outside cathedrals. This year’s Chalk Festival features artists John G., Ke Gray, Danté Rodriguez, Lacy Talley, Rafael Valdivieso, and a selection of Cleveland Institute of Art illustration students. Artist and disability rights advocate John G. provides representation for how the event is accessible for those with limited mobility. Guests can engage with all artists to learn about their work.

Everyone can participate in the Chalk Festival! To chalk your own creation, visit the registration tent in the Fine Arts Garden to purchase your pavement square. Chalk pastels suitable for the museum’s pavement are included in the purchase. Accessible spaces are available for those using wheelchairs or with limited mobility.

● $15 small square (includes a 12-count box of chalk pastels)

● $20 large square (includes a 24-count box of chalk pastels)

On Sunday, September 15, 2024, my family visited the 35th Annual Chalk Festival at the Cleveland Museum of Art after the event had ended for the day. I like to visit the venue at the end of the second day every year to see all the completed chalk drawings. This is my 13th year taking photos of the museum's annual Chalk Festival. I hope you enjoy the video I have put together:

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode.
Please feel free to pause the video to look closer at the artwork that is in the slides!!

 

 

What Others Say

I recommend also viewing Emanuel Wallace's photo collection from the 35th Annual Cleveland Museum of Art Chalk Festival:

 

Related Blog Posts

For this, my thirteenth Chalk Festival blog post, I want to thank all the creative people who participated. The chalk art created at the Cleveland Museum of Art's Chalk Festival every year is outstanding!

Please take some time to see artwork from the past twelve shows by reading my blog posts:

See more by reading my 58 "Cleveland Museum of Art" blog posts, or 76 "University Circle" blog posts.

At last count, there are 93 other blog posts tagged "Art!"

Thank you for reading my blog post. You can learn about my travel journeys with my wife and co-blogger, Julie, and the venues we explore in Cleveland and Akron at: sosAssociates.com/Blog