Ninth Annual Chalk Art Show Creates Community Among Artists of All Ages, Skill Levels

By Sandra Osborn | [email protected]

The Ninth Annual Chalk Art Show and Competition was held on Sept. 17 in conjunction with the South Jordan City Farmers Market. Participants came from all over the Salt Lake Valley and a few other far away places. The show provided the time, space and supplies. The participants brought creativity, skills and fun. 

“The Chalk Art Show and Competition is one of our most fun public events,” Lori Edmunds, the liaison to the South Jordan Arts Council said. “We love it because chalk is for everybody, no matter the skill level. We just want the public to come out and have fun.” 

Some of the artists make the yearly event part of their end of summer activities, but this year, there were also many new faces. With thirty-six spots filled, the show broke a record number of participants. Art Council members judged the friendly competition based on originality, creativity, and overall artistic impression in four age and team categories. Prizes included tote bags and gift cards. 

Ten-year old Piper Duquette was one of this year’s new comers. Her sister Eve had participated in previous years, but this year Piper decided she wanted to do it too because she said “it always looked like so much fun.” Piper drew a picture of her favorite stuffed animal hippo painting his own master piece. 

“It’s been fun to see my family and do this with my mom,” Piper said. “She’s helped me a little. But it was pretty fun just to finish it.” 

The Chalk Art Show brought professional chalk artists to show their work and help out the other artists. This year’s featured artists were Camille Grimshaw and Scott Stanley.

Stanley’s 7-year-old son, Kuma, doodled along his dad’s work. When asked about his work, Kuma said that he’d thought his first idea the day before, but it was no good. Then he thought of his second idea, and it was what he drew: Pokémon fighting Darth Vader, along with a hercules beetle and other characters.

“Kids are so creative, always thinking of wild things, but that’s kind of what I do too,”” Scott Stanley said. 

Wendy Hoang and Sanila Math, two 16 year-olds from Bingham High School, collaborated to make an impression of Disney princess Jasmin and her tiger, Rajah. Excited by the challenge of a piece that would incorporate realistic depictions of a human and an animal, the teenagers set to work at 7 a.m. It took them five hours to finish, but their hard work paid off. Their piece was a favorite, and it got the People’s Choice Award. 

“[The Chalk Art Show] invites people to come together and have fun throughout the day, and show off their skills and artwork,” Math said. 

“I like how this show is with the Farmers Market. People can come and see the chalk and then go around and shop. It’s really nice,” Hoang said. 

Also present at the show was Tonya Youngberg, a professional chalk artist from West Bountiful. Youngberg travels the world doing chalk art and was part of the group that created the chalk art world record in Sarasota, Florida.

Youngberg said in her first few years it was really hard to know that it was going to wash away, but now she’s used to it. She does about forty chalk art competitions a year and is part of the International Chalk Artist Society. For the South Jordan Chalk Art Show, she chose a close-up portrait.

“I chose this one for my father. He’d asked me to draw John Wayne for him,” Youngberg said. 

“Chalk art is really fun because it is more of a performance art because you’re interacting with the public where in lots of art forms you don’t,” Youngberg said. “To me it’s really fun because it involves the community and brings the communities out.” 

The Chalk Art Show and Competition was sponsored by the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, ZAP and the South Jordan Arts Council.