Chalk Arts Festival 2018

Artists of all ages and experience were out drawing creations of large variety during the Chalk Arts Festival and First Friday Art Walk in Brick City. ideaXfactory hosted the 3rd Annual Chalk Art Festival with FosterAdopt Connect SWMO to promote the local nonprofit that offers programs and services to foster children and the families that care for them. While artists chalked, music filled the air from our partio by local musicians Molly Daniels, Lija Fonner, the Conservatory of the Ozarks, Jon Livingston, Melinda Mullins, Ruell Chapell, and John Herbert. Art Zone Nixa was there providing free art activities for families and Professor Powers Science Symposium created giant bubbles. Holy Cow food truck, Queen City Rock Camp, and face painting were there too!

Anyone could join the fun, and we provided the chalk! From rainbows created by a small child to professional illustrations. Whoever wanted to participate could register to get chalk and to enter a contest with prizes. There were two categories: professionals and students. The winners were as follows:

Professional:

1. Christie Snelson – John Lennon
2. Cory Leick: Twin Stars: Miss Universe
3. John Cullen – Starry Starry Mario

Student:
1. Jadyn Herron – We All Need
2. Emina Boyd – Rainbow Dream
3. Henry Herbert – Untitled

Everyone had so much fun despite the heat! It is something special getting a number of people in the open to create together. “…being able to chat with people is a whole different environment of creating art; it creates a camaraderie,” Pam RuBert says.

While people were chalking in the parking lot, one of our resident artists, Sarah Jones, was finishing the mural of her interpretation of a detail of Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” on the north side of our building. Using a beautiful color palette and paint strokes, we wanted to show the public working large in another form.

Inside was the opening of our second round of Open Studios. With some new artists this time around, we had them set up their studios for a public viewing to give insight into creative spaces. We also had a number of their artworks on display on our gallery walls. Artists of a variety of mediums participating: David Cogorno, Lura Faye Cotton, Doug Erb, Carl Glasemeyer, Sarah Jones, Sam Mattax, Josse McGregor, Dana Campbell Neuenschwander, Pam RuBert, Russ RuBert, Christie Snelson, and Mikey Yates. The artists will continue working in their studios through the end of August, with an official opening reception the First Friday Art Walk of July, and again in August to show the process over the last months. The exhibition is open to the public Tuesdays-Thursdays 3pm-7pm with one of the residents artists on deck.

—
Christie Snelson
www.christiesnelson.com