Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival- a brief history
The Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival began in the summer of 1991 when a group of Valley Art Association members were thinking of a way to do a public arts event as a fundraiser. They drew inspiration from an annual Chalk Art event that takes place in Santa Barbara, California where professional chalk artists draw on the street and the public comes to view the amazing pictures developing before their eyes. The Valley Art group wanted to have an event where everyone, no matter their art skills, could try their hand at chalk art.
The first time the event took place about thirty squares were hand drawn on the sidewalks in front of Valley Art and the adjoining businesses. The squares were sold for the day with the fee including some chalk. Since then, the event has grown and grown.
In 2001 the City of Forest Grove planned to replace the sidewalks on Main Street. Valley Art applied for and was awarded a grant to pay for numbered surveyor markers that the city added in the corner of each sidewalk square. The city and Valley Art continued with this practice when new sidewalks were planned for 21st Ave, College Way and Pacific Avenue a few years later. This cut down on the amount of time volunteers needed to number so many sidewalk squares. Now there are 360 brass markers installed. Volunteers number about 300 more to be able to have enough to meet the demand of so many artists.
