Above: Lyannyeette puts the finishing touches on her drawing, “Frida.”
By: Ruby Rosenwasser
Artists of all ages gathered to compete for a $1,000 Hull’s Art Supply & Framing gift card at the 2nd Annual New Haven Chalk Art Festival on Saturday, October 21.
It was a beautiful, crisp autumn day- the perfect weather for anyone to attend the free event.
Hundreds of people gathered around the artists to take a closer look at the action, and those who were just passing by could not help but take a peek.
The crowds enjoyed beautiful artwork, a live jazz band, magician, face painter, and free Insomnia Cookies. In addition, people could also participate in a free raffle and vote for their favorite artists to be crowned People’s Choice.
All artists created their designs with water-soluble chalk on a section of black asphalt or granite pavers square. Local chalk artist, Andrea Casey judged contestants in three categories, the teen category, individual adult, and adult group, for the Grand Prize.
All of the artists had a unique way of using the medium. Artist Alex Andra manipulated the chalk into a powder with a cheese grater to create an airbrushed effect in her piece, “Cubic One.”
“I wanted to use chalk in nontraditional way. We have limited materials for this competition and I wanted to do something that wasn’t a traditional use of the material,” Andra said.
Artists pulled inspiration from a variety of sources, including pop culture icons such as Harry Potter and Frida Kahlo. Amy, Cecelia and Newton created a political wall metaphor with their piece, “Humpty Dumpty.”
Phoebe Helander, artist of “Melon,” walked away with the grand prize, but there were plenty of noteworthy works. Check out some of the highlights below.
“Melon” by Phoebe Helander
“Untitled” by Astrid, age 12
Amelia, Cecilia and Newton work on their piece, “Humpty Dumpty.”
Michael Bond, “Peace and Harmony”
Zahra, “Fall in the Farm”
Sarah Hope Hill, “She’s a Witch”
