Children and adults enjoy this annual event where community members join professional artists in using the walkways around the Fine Arts Garden as a colorful canvas. Begun in 1990, our festival is a modern expression of a Renaissance tradition from 16th-century Italy in which artists copied paintings of the Madonna by Raphael and his contemporaries using chalk on the plazas outside cathedrals. Watching the chalk artists and enjoying the entertainment is free.
Everyone can participate at the Chalk Festival!
- To chalk your own square, purchase a square of pavement (chalk pastels included) at the registration tent.
- $10 small square (includes a 12-count box of chalk pastels)
- $20 large square (includes a 24-count box of chalk pastels)
- First come, first served while supplies last. No preregistration.
Featured Chalk Artists
Featured chalk artists throughout the Fine Arts Garden create large-scale chalk masterpieces during the festival.
- Sequioa Bostick
- Bruno Casiano
- Debra Sue Solecki
- Students from Cleveland Institute of Art
Music and Food
Enjoy music in the garden during the festival and have a picnic on the lawn. Food trucks are available at the bottom of the Fine Arts Garden, and the museum café is open during the festival.
Featured Musical Group
- Ropa Vieja
Featured Food Trucks
- Off the Griddle
- Smooth Rider
Mini Chalk Festival at the Community Arts Center
- Free
- Sunday, September 10, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
- Community Arts Center (2937 West 25th Street, Cleveland, OH 44113; free parking in lot off Castle Avenue)
- The CAC is hosting a free mini chalk festival to get you excited and inspired for the upcoming two-day festival at the museum the following weekend. Join us for free chalk, tools and stencils, music, and popsicles as we turn the parking lot into a tapestry of art and color!
- Drop in; no preregistration required. Stop into the CAC for instructions and supplies.
- In the event of inclement weather, the mini chalk festival will be moved into the CAC studios.
