SIDEWALK CHALK ARTISTS
Everyone, regardless of age, skill level, or background, is warmly invited to join us as an Artist at the Chalk It Up! The Chalk Art & Music Festival. Whether you’re a professional artist, a student, or someone who loves creating, this is the place for you. We believe that art is for everyone, so we welcome all to be a part of this vibrant event. Artists sign up, community members and businesses donate to sponsor the chalk art, we match the artists with the sponsors, then assign each artist their location to create their chalk art mural during the festival. Crowds walk around the park’s perimeter all weekend to see the artists working on their chalk art murals.
Here’s how it works in detail:
- Chalk It Up works with the City of Sacramento to shut down all the sidewalks around Fremont Park’s perimeter and divide them into “squares” so that they are the artists’ canvases for the weekend. We divide up the sidewalk into single and double “squares.” There is room for approximately 200 artists to participate in the festival, creating chalk art murals all over the sidewalks around the outside of the park.
- Artists must sign up in advance to participate.
- There is no charge for the artists to participate.
- Each “square” is sponsored by individuals, schools, non-profit organizations, or businesses. Sponsorship is a $250 donation for individuals or non-profits and $350 for for-profit businesses for a standard-size single “square.” There is also an option to choose a double-sized “square.” These sponsorship donations help to cover the cost of putting on the festival.
Chalk It Up! is not just an art festival; it’s a community coming together to celebrate creativity. Some artists and sponsors work together to sign up. Some artists sign up without a sponsor, and some sponsors sign up without an artist, and we do our best to match them so that every sidewalk chalk mural at the festival is sponsored. This collaborative spirit is what makes our festival unique and special. - Artists check in either Friday night before the festival or Saturday morning. At that time, they will receive confirmation of their Sponsor, park location, and “Artist Starter Kit.” More experienced artists may receive their sponsor and location information in advance.
- The Artist Starter Kit consists of a 24-pack assortment of soluble chalk pastels plus 10 sticks of premium sidewalk chalk, aka “That Thicc Chalk,” in the artist’s choice of colors. Artists can purchase additional chalk at the festival or bring their own supplies with them.
- Artists agree to start their chalk art mural on Saturday and complete it by Noon on Monday (Labor Day).
- Artists agree to list their Sponsor’s name on their artwork in 6″ tall letters along the bottom of their chalk art to recognize their contribution to the festival properly. This is our way of showing appreciation for our sponsors and acknowledging their vital role in making the festival a success.
- Each chalk art mural is assigned a number so the community can vote for their favorite for the People’s Choice Award.
- Awards are presented on Monday afternoon for the Judges’ 1st and 2nd place and the People’s Choice.
ABOUT THE PREMIUM CHALK: We order premium chalk from Eternity Arts, a company in Michigan that makes all their premium chalk pastels by hand. These chalk sticks are rich and buttery and come in dozens of colors. We call this chalk “That Thicc Chalk.” It will fade and rinse off the sidewalk just like standard sidewalk chalk, but it can take longer to fade because it is more highly pigmented. We order hundreds of cases of this chalk each year and sell it by the stick at the festival. Many artists stock up on their favorite colors to use at the festival and take home for the rest of the year.
