Northampton Chalk Art Festival Returns on Sept. 10
NORTHAMPTON — Each year, on the second Friday in September, downtown Northampton’s sidewalks are transformed into a colorful canvas of chalk art masterpieces, with area artists drawing inspiration from nature, comic books, culture, abstract ideas, and even COVID.
Drawing takes place from approximately 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 10. The public is encouraged to watch chalk art pieces develop and to view completed works in the evening, while enjoying Northampton’s monthly gallery walk, Arts Night Out, from 5 to 8 p.m. Cash prizes of $300, $200, and $100 will be awarded by a panel of judges to the top three creations. Presentations will be made by Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra on the steps of City Hall at 5 p.m.
Individual chalk artists for 2022 feature former prize winners and seasoned competitors, as well as talented new artists, including Robert Markey, Dave Rothstein, Melissa Stratton-Pandina, Aldo Pizzi, Kimberly Guthrie, Marc Austin, Rob Kimmel, and more. The 2022 Chalk Art Festival features more artists and more venues than ever before, with more than 25 individual artists participating.
Chalk-art sites are situated throughout downtown Northampton and include Forbes Library, Pulaski Park, Click Workspace, the Roost, Northampton Brewery, A2Z Science & Learning Store, and others. Maps of the chalk-art locations, along with their assigned artists, will be available at www.northamptondna.com and northampton.live, and printed copies will be distributed by a variety of downtown venues.
The Northampton Chalk Art Festival is produced by the Downtown Northampton Assoc. (DNA) and co-presented by the DNA and Chartpak in cooperation with the City of Northampton. It is sponsored by Whalen Insurance and Thornes Marketplace.
