For almost 40 years, the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has been holding a chalk art festival in the park near its campus. What’s that got to do with Verona? SCAD grad Renee Powley, now a Verona resident, and the newly formed Verona Arts coalition are bringing a chalk fest to Verona in September.
“I had always envisioned this town,” Powley says. “The town square lends itself to something like this.”
The first Verona Chalk Fest will be held on Saturday, September 28 in the loop in front of Town Hall and H.B. Whitehorne Middle School, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Interested artists can rent a piece of pavement and Verona Arts will give them a box of 24 pastel chalks so they can draw to their heart’s content. Well almost: Verona Arts says all art must be family friendly, with no religious or political statements, illegal references or inappropriate images. The drawing spaces range from 4′ x 4′ ($10) to 8′ x 12′ ($40) and artists can draw solo or as part of a group. Artists age 8 and under must be accompanied by a parent.
Powley says that there will be up to 60 spaces available to artists and she encourages every Verona resident to be among them. “We don’t want people to feel intimidated if they are not artistic,” she says. “Everything will be quality work. We encourage people of all abilities to participate.” There will be juried awards and a viewer’s choice award at the end of the afternoon.
Putting the chalk art on the pavement means that the sidewalks will be open for pedestrians to easily view the artists and their works. Verona Arts is inviting food trucks to the event and the proceeds will go to a scholarship fund for aspiring artists.
If you want to be a Verona Chalk Fest artist, the deadline to reserve a drawing space is September 18 and you can download the necessary paperwork from Verona Arts’ website.
Verona Arts was created this spring by a group of visual artists and Steve Neale, Verona’s director of administration and economic development. It seeks to expand the venues for original art here, launch communal art projects like Chalk Fest, hold workshops and lectures and, eventually, host an annual arts festival for local artists.
Says Powley: “We’re focused on bringing local talent into the limelight.”
