Sidewalk Art Festival

Submitted by: Michelle Kelly
UNIT: Renaissance art - Sidewalk Art/Festival
Lesson: Sidewalk Chalk Painting
Grade Level: High School (adaptable to middle school)

From Michelle:

An idea that went over well with my highly burnt-out AP students after we mailed out the last portfolio, was a sidewalk chalk festival. I researched examples and history on the internet and shared them with the class. Known as "I Madonnari" in Italy, (I Madonnari means "street painter" in Italian) we got a lot of impressive results. One of the more impressive examples were the work of Kurt Wenner. The students worked out their ideas for a week on large butcher paper. Then we spent an entire school day as an in school field trip, drawing outside, the gods blessed us with a perfect day. The event was judged and prizes were awarded. The students only took a 30 minute pizza break even though they could have taken more. They were all impressed with each other, but not as impressed as the rest of the school, teachers and administration. It was a terrific artistic release as well as a day they are still talking about. We filmed, edited and burnt a DVD to remember. Hope this will do as a good "what to do after the AP portfolio is all done idea". Not all of the ideas were original ideas - but it was a great release.

Materials:

Large roll paper for planning, Pastels or Sidewalk Chalk, paper towels, hand wipes, cheap hair spray.

Procedures:

How to do Street Painting

http://www.ehow.com

Italian Chalk Art Festival - See winners of Austin's festival (Archive)

Italian Chalk Art Facebook page - Santa Barbara Mission

Resources:

Art and History of Street painting - also article about Kurt Wenner http://festivals.com/00-04-april/streetpainting/history.cfm
Click links in at left on this site to learn more

Kurt Wenner - from America
http://www.kurtwenner.com/gallery.htm
http://www.kurtwenner.com/street/ 
http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/sidewalk.asp
http://festivals.com/00-04-april/streetpainting/kurtwenner.cfm

Julian Beever

Mark Cummings http://www.chalkpainting.com/
What is Chalk Painting http://www.chalkpainting.com/whatisit/index.htm

Milan Yovanivich - from Brazil 
http://www.sensiart.com/Pages/Madonnaro/Madonnaro.htm

Julie Kirk http://www.streetpainting.net/

Tracy Lee Stum http://www.tracyleestum.com/

Books

Pavement Chalk Artist: The Three-Dimensional Drawings of Julian Beever - This new book covers the magical pavement paintings of Julian Beever.

3D Pavement Art - Artists like Edgar Müller and Tracy Lee Stum create street art that's so incredible it is almost impossible to pass by without being sucked in to the worlds they create on asphalt.

NOTE: There is a scene in the movie, Mary Poppins, where an artist colors a street picture with colored chalk. Two children, Mary Poppins, and Dick Van Dyke jump into the chalk picture and it comes alive. This might make a good introduction to the lesson. (The link is only part of that section. You can cue up the movie if you wish.)

Online Videos