Art Festivals

There are many well-known street painters out there, some which I have yet to discuss in these posts. But for now, I shall deviate from investigating these high-profile painters, and rather focus in on the ordinary, aspiring chalk artists who have yet to become famous.

Every year, there are countless street art festivals held around the U.S. The largest is the Lake Worth street painting festival in Florida. Hundreds of artists have attended every year since 1994. Beginning artists with little to no experience in street painting come together with professional artists with many years experience. Roughly 100000 visitors roamed the streets last year and saw these paintings as they were completed over the course of 3 days. This year, it will be held again in February.

Of course, there are also art festivals for the more established artists, such as the Sarasota Chalk Festival, also held in Florida during the first week of November. This is a more high-profile, international festival in which artists from around the world come together for a week to paint their masterpieces on the streets of downtown Sarasota. Last year, in 2010, 250 of the world’s most renowned street artists such as Leon Keer, Tracy Lee Stun, and the ever-talented one and only Edgar Müller participated in the competition.

Whether it be an amateur, public art festival or a professional one, visiting such an event must be a great privilege. I can imagine seeing the street at the beginning, blank grey pavement, then visiting the same place 3 days or a week afterward. The streets would be lined and colored with beautiful art, hand drawn and meticulously colored by both beginners and experts. A festival like this, surrounded by color and other art aficionados, would be an amazing experience.