Chalk Festival
Schedule:
Sarasota Int'l Chalk Festival at 400-543 S. Pineapple Avenue in Burns Square, downtown Sarasota, FL
10:00 a.m - 7:00 p.m: General Admission
10:00 a.m - 7:00 p.m: Interactive Illusion Rooms at 300-500 S. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, Florida, 34236
Join us as we expand the largest outdoor display of 3D Illusion Rooms. Each illusion is hand painted by artists who travel from all over the world to participate. The construction of these rooms are a huge undertaking for this event so please come and enjoy the illusions created by artists from areas such as Turkey, Ukraine, Japan, Italy, India, Brazil and from around the USA that are truly immersive. Everyone is invited to step onto the illusions for an emersion experience where you can have a photo taken and become a part of the scene.
10:00 a.m - 7:00 p.m: 'Floralia Infiorata' Flower Carpets
The Sarasota Int'l Chalk Festival, a jubilation of art and culture, is recognized for hosting the world’s largest gathering of Internationally renowned pavement artists. Founded in 2007, the festival invites artists to travel to Sarasota County to create masterpieces in chalk. The artist hail from 30+ countries, the furthest being Australia and Japan.
For its 18th iteration, the Festival will bring for the first time to the United States multiple delegations of "Infiorata" and "Rangoli" artists together. These artists create carpets using flowers, sand, and other natural materials in an act of devotion. Dubbed "Floralia Infiorata," this exhibition will represent an important moment of cultural exchange introducing North American art lovers to these centuries-old artistic traditions.
Both the pavement artists and floral carpet artists create ephemeral works of art using the road surface as their canvas in a real open-air museum. Spectators become an integral part of the artist's creative process as the observer of these fleeting artistic expressions. "Our Founding Director, Denise Kowal, has studied ephemeral carpets and their purpose in different cultures for many years. She’s traveled to infiorata festivals in Italy and Brussels and Spain (as a guest speaker), and seen rangoli artists in India. We are thrilled to be the first festival in the U.S. to introduce patrons to this particular art,"Bill Baranowski, Chalk Festival Managing Director, said.
Avenida de Colores, the parent organization of the Chalk Festival, has partnered with delegations that boast a long and prestigious tradition in the history of artistic infiorate from Genzano di Roma (Italy), Gerno (Italy), La Orotava, Tenerife (Spain), Hachijo-machi Hachijojima, Tokyo (Japan), Pune, Maharashtra (India), Guilianova (Italy), and Huamantla (Mexico) for this international meeting.
Floralia Infiorata promises to be a great artistic manifestation with devotional origins in the Baroque period. It will be a meeting point for different cultures that, in a very unique way, use flowers, sawdust, sand and other natural materials to create what is recognized as flower carpets, "Infiorata" in Italian and "Rangoli" in India, and its derivative ‘ephemeral carpets," states Carbone. Eduardo Carbone from Argentina, is an international researcher and broadcaster specializing in ephemeral carpets.
10:00 a.m - 7:00 p.m: 3-D Pavement Art Exhibition at 300-500 S. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL, 34236
On Display: In 2022, just weeks prior to the opening of the Int' Chalk Festival at Venice Airport, Hurricane Ian devastated our region, shutting down all possibilities to perform as planned. With roughly 30 artist already in town and no permits for alternative locations, we improvised creating 3D illusions on canvases. The canvases were displayed at the Ringling Museum and then put into storage. We are taking them out for everyone to see the incredible work that was accomplished.
10:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m: 'Young and Young at Heart'
The Young and Young at Heart is a public participation area, open for all ages to try chalk art and create impromptu mini masterpieces. This year Flora Jam will join us from France to create her beautiful oversized mandala pavement art to be filled by all those who attend.
We provide the chalk of all kinds including the same kind we provide to the professional, bright and beautiful colors. Each year over 5,000 five thousands chalk fans chalk at the Young and Young At Heart interactive so make sure YOU leave your mark. Additional featured events for visitors will include face painting, and soft music. Guests can purchase onsite beverages for all ages, light snacks, beer/wine/drinks and festival merchandise. ATM and restrooms onsite.
4:00 p.m - 7:00 p.m: Sarasota Puppet Parade Celebration at 400-500 S. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL, 34236
Danaé Brossonnet will arrive from Canada to Sarasota starting October 10th. For one month she will be working with our community to create a fantastical parade using Florida's flora and fauna as inspiration. Danae participated for the first time in the Sarasota Int't Chalk Festival in 2014, and lead workshops on mask making. Seeking out those who have limited access to the arts, she will share her skills creating together a magical presentation of puppets, oversize masks, costuming and stilt walkers for the Chalk Festival's closing ceremonies on Sunday. Danaé's art is all about creating deep connections with communities, telling their unique stories, and celebrating their culture. Danaé is passionate about making art accessible, especially for children. We will be hosting workshops with Danaé to inspire young minds to tell their stories through art. Her vibrant work leaves a colorful impact wherever she goes, from conflict zones to communities like ours, translating powerful stories into stunning visual art.
