Sarasota Chalk Festival is an American cultural event of public art that celebrates a performing art form of pavement art also known as Italian street painting. It was founded in Sarasota, Florida by Denise Kowal. During the festival artists use chalk, and occasionally special paint, to paint the road surface to create large works of art while the viewer can watch the creative process. The festival is focused around the street artists who are known as Madonnari in Italy or commonly referred to Street Painters, Chalk Artists, Sidewalk Artists, or Pavement Artists. The festival is held annually in downtown Sarasota in Burns Square.
On October 28, 2013, the festival was featured by The New York Times as a destination recommended on its Guide to Intelligent Travel.Coming Events In Florida, A Guide to Intelligent Travel, In Transit, Calendar, New York Times, October 28, 2013Cummings, Ian, Chalk festival gets travel blog's nod, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Tuesday, October 29, 2013
History
In 2010 during its third season, the Sarasota Chalk Festival became the first international street painting festival in the United States of America,The First International Street Painting Festival in the United States, Cuomo, Alessio and de Nooij, Sander, Coldsun Productions, 2010 inviting artists from around the world to participate. Setting a unique theme for each year was instituted for the planning of each annual event with that year as well. Documenting the origins, diversity, spirit, appeal, and growing popularity of street painting, filming for a 2013 film on modern street painting around the world began with scenes and interviews at the first international Sarasota festival; a video production describing the film was released in February 2012.Westerink, Peter, de Nooij, Sander, Cuomo, Alessio, I Madonnari, 2012, ColdSun Productions and Planet StreetPainting, Netherlands
A book, Sarasota Chalk Festival (right), was published by the festival organization in time for availability at the 2011 festival. The 214-page book, described as a collector edition, provides an extensive history of the street painting it features and discusses many of the artists who have become famous for performing the art at various locations around the world. Many of these artists were invited to the debut of broadening the scope of the festival to international status. The book provides examples of their work—either here or abroad. Many of the artists return each year, so the material remains timely as well as historic. It also describes the music and arts on Sarasota's "Cultural Coast" and the many attractive Sarasota beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. The book has been available at each festival since its publication and always is available at the festival offices.
Themes
— 2010 — Halloween
The theme of the 2010 festival was Halloween. Many renowned street painters from all over the world participated in the event that was held October 25 through October 31. More than 80,000 people attended the seven-day event, and in an unprecedented action prompted by the popularity of the festival, the municipal government extended the street closure for an additional day so people could view the completed artworks. Several documentaries were created about the 2010 festival that were released locally and in Europe, including the first documentary on Street Painting to be released at the Grazie di Curtatone 24-hour Madonnari Competition, August 15, 2012. Sarasota Chalk Festival founder Denise Kowal was invited to be a judge at the 2011 Grazie di Curtatone, making her the second foreigner and first American to be invited to judge this prestigious festival that was the first street painting festival in the world. The Grazie di Curtatone festival is celebrating its fortieth anniversary in 2012 and Denise Kowal was invited again to be a judge of the competition.
The featured artist at the Sarasota festival, Maestro Madonnaro and Guinness World Record holder, Edgar Mueller, created a three-dimensional (3D) street painting that made history for introducing a new perspective in street art that with special equipment may be seen in three-dimensions. This ground-breaking street painting also appeared to change from a giant by day, to a fetus by night, through the use of photoluminescent paints and artificial lighting. It measured 100' x 40'.
A second guest artist and first Guinness World Record holder for a street painter, Tracy Lee Stum, also was featured in 2010. She created a two-point perspective 65' x 30' 3D interactive Mousetrap game and completed the installation with assistance from Sharyn Namnath, Julio Jimenez, Charlene Lanzel, and Fred Wilms. A third Guinness World Record holder, Leon Keer, traveled from the Netherlands and won third place for his original street painting featuring depictions of Alice in Wonderland and Little Red Riding Hood.
Genna Panzarella, the first woman to be awarded the Maestra Madonnaro title in Grazie di Curtatone, Italy, created a giant painting of a skeletal horse during the festival. and Maestro Madonnaro Vera Bugatti traveled from Italy to America for the first time in order to create her original street painting, incorporating a Batman theme.
The 2010 festival supported several secondary events held on its fringes. They included the Hallowscreen Fringe Film Festival with indoor and outdoor movies organized by executive director Lori Bowen, the France Engels Couture 60' Runway Show in cooperation with Carrianna Hutchinson, Sarasota's Largest Pumpkin Carving Contest, a performance stage with multiple artists such as flutist Jane Hoffman and guitarist Rick Peterson, the Moving Ethos Dance Company, the West Coast Civic Ballet, the Jump Dance Company, The Garbage-Men, and the Dragonfly Café Poets.
— 2011 — Pavement art through the ages
In 2011, with the theme 'Pavement Art Through the Ages', the Sarasota Chalk Festival attracted 250 renowned pavement artists from all over the world. Artists from France, Australia, Germany, Canada, Peru, Spain, Mexico, Netherlands, Japan, Italy, France, and Brazil as well as from almost every state in the United States traveled to participate in the week-long festival that drew 200,000 visitors.
Three-dimensional A museum gallery displaying works by Kurt Wenner, the innovator of three-dimensional (3D) pavement art, was held and Wenner presented six lectures and demonstrations as well as creating a street painting with students as an instructional lesson on perspective during the event. Wenner had started the first street painting festival in the United States more than 25 years previously.
Dutch artist Leon Keer returned to the festival and, along with other members of Planet Street Painting, executed a 3D depiction of China's Terracotta Army in Lego. This piece attracted international media attention including videos Sarasota Chalk Festival, images and link to a video (no real than you are) on the painting, The Art Whisperer, Sarasota Day, September 12, 1012 on the work. It was painted in conjunction with the appearance of a 9-feet-tall Lego man, by artist Ego Leonard, that washed up on Siesta Key in Sarasota on October 25, 2011, with the words, "No Real Than You Are", emblazoned on his green T-shirt. The giant Lego man was "arrested" on charges of "loitering" by the Sarasota County sheriff, and many attempts were made to release Ego Leonard in time for him to attend the festival. Unfortunately, these attempts failed and he missed the entire festival. The sheriff stated that the sculpture must be kept for ninety days so that its owner had time to claim it. With no one coming forward as his owner, finally, he was released to Denise Kowal after the ninety-day period had elapsed. Ego Leonard stayed in Sarasota at historic Burns Square until July 2012, when he "swam" to Los Angeles, California where he was invited to show his artwork.
Another 3D installation created at the festival was a 30' x 60' opera set by the Baltimore artist, Michael Kirby. The piece was a mix of 3D art painting and real props and it was created for a performance of Madame Butterfly by the Sarasota Opera. This undertaking was the first of its kind.
Among the many 3D installations at the festival others included, a 30' x 60' piece entitled Avatar by German artist Gregor Wosik, a 15' x 20' piece depicting mermaids by USA artist Melanie Stimmell, a 15' x 15' piece entitled Four Continents by USA artist Julie Kirk-Purcell, a 15' x 30' circus piece by Spanish artist Eduardo Relero, a 15' x 20' piece entitled Books by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra,Ngebgebgenm Eduardo Kobra é premiado no Sarasota Chalk Festival, October 11, 2011 a 30' x 40' piece entitled Augmented Realty by USA artists Art for After Hours, a 12' x 24' piece entitled Pirate Ship by USA artists Wayne and Cheryl Renshaw, and a 15' x 30' piece entitled Skatepark by USA artist Rod Tryon.
Cellograff
The 2011 festival introduced Cellograff to the United States. It is a form of graffiti executed on cellophane wrapped between poles. More than five of these temporary installations were created by iKanoGrafik.
Going Vertical
The 2011 Sarasota Chalk Festival also added Going Vertical as an additional feature of the festival and invited graffiti artists and muralists from around the world to participate.Weingarten, Abby, “Going Vertical” extends the Chalk Festival off the streets, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Ticket, Thursday, October 4, 2012 French artist MTO from Berlin,Street art and murals by MTO, Flicker, accessed 2012.10.12 Kanos, Astros, and Katre from France, ChorBoggie and Max Ehrman from California, Eduardo Kobra from Brazil,LaHurd, Jeff, The hustle and bustle of Sarasota's golden age, Sarasota Herald Tribune, March 18, 2012Portfolio Eduardo Kobra, Issuu, May 23, 2012 A mural depicting a historic scene of the busy downtown in Sarasota at the turn of the twentieth century was created by Eduardo Kobra that covered the entire eastern side of a prominent building in Burns Square. It has become the background for photographs of the main events and primary drawings of each succeeding festival. Anat Ronan, Sunny Miller from Lafayette, Indiana, Dutch artist Remko Van Schaik, and many regional artists including Truman Adams completed works in different areas of the city. The artists were assigned to create murals on the walls of several buildings selected in the city, including both private and public properties, but visually accessible to the public. The pieces were created in cooperation with the artists, the city, and the property owners.
Following the festival, on November 30, the architect and the city held a reception atop its dramatic new parking garage on Palm Avenue to celebrate the murals that had been painted on each of its five floors as part of Going Vertical. Each floor has a unique mural celebrating the arts in Sarasota, representing dance, film, music, opera, and theatre.Schelle, Charles, City Celebrates Murals at Palm Avenue Garage, Sarasota Patch, December 1, 2011 The garage murals were funded through a public art fund that is created with donations required of the developers of new buildings in the city who do not provide public art for their project.
— 2012 — Circus City USA
In January 2012 the dates of that year's annual event were announced on the festival's web site as, October 28 through November 6, and the theme, Circus City, USA, was declared. The theme of the festival was chosen to celebrate the 1920s in Sarasota, when the city became the winter home of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.