The 2021 Capital Chalk Art Fair
The Capital Chalk Art Fair is an event ran by Capital Arts Gallery that takes place every year in August/September here in Jefferson City at one of our parks. During the event, anyone can sign up, receive a bag of chalk and a designated “square” on the sidewalk, and can then draw/color whatever they like in their square. On Saturday, kids of all ages were on their hands and knees creating amazing works of art and beautifying the sidewalk. Others who attended the event were able to partake in the many different art booths and make art with water guns filled with paint, colored bubbles, and even tie-dye their own Chalk Art shirt.
Along with the creative outlets, artists of many different mediums came to share their own work. We had live music, food trucks, and a variety of craft booths. I myself had a little booth set up with merchandise from both my Redbubble and Society6 shops, as well as a separate table filled with free coloring pages and crayons. Passersby loved the stickers and buttons, and were each given a free bookmark just for stopping by.
I’ve done many tables/booths in the past few years, but this one was, in my opinion, the most professional thus far. I had worked hard these past few weeks to design the bookmarks that would act as my business cards, the signs I used for pricing and watercolor classes, and my very first outdoor vinyl sign. For once, my work all looked cohesive and appeared to be all made by the same person, which is what I’ve always wanted! I’m excited for the upcoming Porch Fest, during which I hope to finally have a wall for my booth on which I can hang framed prints, as well as a print bin and a greeting card tree. Not to mention the plans for a coloring book instead of loose pages, and tons of Halloween merch.
But enough about my booth, let’s talk about the chalk art! Goo had a blast, as she always does at these events, and entered the competition some time after her soccer game. She spent nearly two hours coloring what she called an “intuitive piece” which was a cat filled with many different colored circles, and the only reason she didn’t take longer was because she desperately wanted gelato and a tie-dye shirt before the event ended. My favorite part, as it is for every chalk art festival, was walking down the sidewalk once most everyone had finished, to admire each and every art piece. Not only was I excited to see that the art had the variety of both the young and the young-at-heart, but I was mesmerized at some of the truly stunning pieces. We have some amazingly skilled artists in our community!
Until next time, may your community be creative and your weather be fair.
