This year's Palatka Chalk
Explosion is, as always, free and open to the public. The 4th
annual event will be a day of live music, street chalking, chalking
competition, and more. The family friendly Palatka Chalk Explosion
invites all to come participate, view, and enjoy a fun filled day of
art in the streets. There will be a kids area where visitors can just
stop by and add their touch to the outdoor art gallery. Live music
will fill the air and art will fill the streets. Artists It is free to compete and
chalk is provided for competition artists. This years theme, "Visions
of Putnam County, FL", is a broad theme that will feature our
beautiful, mostly rural county. The theme can be interpreted in many
ways. We incourage artists to think outside of the box and take in
consideration, but not to be limited by, some the following aspects
that Putnam County, FL is known for:
Waterways
Pristine natural
Florida areas
Trails
Exploration by
William Bartram
Historical
Architecture
Palatka's rich past
as a tourist destination
Bass fishing capital
Civil War occupation
Native American
population
Agriculture
Music and art Check-in for competition artists is from 8-10 AM and judging is at 4 PM.
The 2016 Palatka Chalk Explosion
is free and open to the public, features 5 professional featured chalk
artists, four live bands throughout the day, a free street chalking
competition with prize money, and provides chalk for kids and adults to help decorate the street in Downtown Palatka. The Arts Council of Greater Palatka’s 4th annual Chalk Explosion will be held Saturday, April 9th,
on the 300 and 400 blocks of St. Johns Avenue. Competition artists
check in from 8AM to 10AM. Artwork will be judged and awarded cash
prizes at 5:00 P.M. Helen Hayes’ Daddle Do Ya Food Truck will serve food all day and a local youth sports team will serve drinks and deserts. The
Chalk Explosion’s theme this year is “Visions of Putnam County, FL”.
The theme will highlight Putnam County and Palatka, increasing exposure
to the wonderful things we have to offer here. Visiting artist are
encouraged to spend the weekend and enjoy Putnam’s trails, waterways, and many ‘fishing holes’. The
competition is free to enter and chalk pastels are provided. There will
be a youth contest for ages 11 to 16 and an adult contest for ages 17
and up. No prior experience in art is required to enter and the Arts Council is currently accepting pre-registration on a first come, first serve basis. Information to sign up can be found at artsinputnam.org, at the Larimer Arts Center, and at facebook.com/chalkexplosion. Chalk will also be provided to anybody of any age who would like to participate non-competitively. The Palatka Chalk Explosion is a member of the Florida Chalk Artists Association and the International Street Painting society. Event Chairman, Luke Taft, encourages non-artist, beginners, and youth to also enter the competition. “Vibrant chalk pastels will be provided to contestants to express themselves in their own unique way. The theme, Visions of Putnam County, can be interpreted in an endless amount of styles,
ideas, and imagery. It can be abstract, imagistic, just whatever
creative way to visually express Putnam County, FL. We have so much to
offer here including history, architecture, natural beauty, wildlife, and more.”
Compositions must be non-political in nature, family friendly, and not
negatively attack any group. A rough sketch of the proposed competition
drawing must be provided before check-in. A major highlight of the event is five professional street painters who will create masterpieces throughout the day as visitors watch the works come to life and enjoy the live music. This year’s featured artists include Nancy Naulty, Tim Ritter, and Beth Shistle, Julie Graden, and Beatrice Flag. All are accomplished chalk artists who continue to amaze their audiences and will add a learning experience for amateur competitors. Nancy A. Naulty
is a freelance artist, writer and photographer specializing in many
different mediums including: Pastels, Acrylics, Sculpture, Multimedia, Murals and Photography. Established as an award winning “Chalk Artist” or “Mondannari”, Nancy has over 10 years experience
participating in many street painting festivals across the state of
Florida. She is a designated Master Chalk Artist with the Florida
Chalk Artist Association and a member of the International Street Painting Society. Nancy
also enjoys gardening, music, playing guitar, cooking, boating, fishing
and the theatrical arts. She is a “foster mom” to abused and neglected
animals with the Animal Rescue Konsortium. Beth Shistle is an award winning artist from DeLand,
FL who has been participating in street painting festivals since 2004.
Retiring early from teaching elementary school, she now happily creates
a variety of works of art from her home studio. Her work favors a
realistic style and mostly portrays pets and people in either pastels
or acrylics. She has been published in the North Light Magazine, and
Sarasota Chalk Festival 2011 Collector's Edition. She also enjoys
creating miniature 2.5" x 3.5" paintings that
have been collected internationally. Beth is a member of the Florida
Chalk Artist Association and a member of the Women Painters of the
Southeast organization. Tim Ritter is an avid chalk artist, and travels around Florida to different festivals sharing his creative side of his brain. He also paints mostly with acrylics, and is a sculptors apprentice of Kumpa Tawoanprom (he has done work for Disney,Universal Studios,Six Flags,George Lucas and most recently the movie" Dolphin Tale" filming in Clearwater) Ritter and Kumpa collaborated on a Thai angel at the Master Of Arts Chalk Festival, and won best original artwork out of ten categories out of 200 artists. Julie Graden, a graduate of Florida School of the Arts in Palatka now lives and works an artist in Land o' Lakes, Florida. She created a giant 3 dimensional for the first Chalk Explosion and was a featured artist in the 2014 Chalk Explosion. Graden is an award winning street painter as well and is the current president of the Florida Chalk Artists Association. As an award winner at various Chalk events, Beatrice Flaig recently expended
her participation to festivals throughout the Southeast. " Street
Painting used to be a hobby and recently became an addiction". "I enjoy
large scale art and participating in street painting events rekindles a
familiar passion shared by many other artists every time we rendezvous at various chalk festivals throughout the year". The
2016 Palatka Chalk Explosion boasts an impressive live music line up as
well. Lee Kelly, a folk rock, Irish, children’s music banjo and guitar
picker will entertain from 10Am to noon. Stephen Chandler and Sleek
will take the stage at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM with funky soul and jazz. Cracker the Box, known for a creative blend of blues and rock genres, will play from 3:15 to 4:45. At 5:15, as the competition is judged and finished pieces fill St Johns Avenue, Chuck Hardtwick and Heartline will finish up the day with an early evening concert featuring a Putnam County flavor of Florida folk music. Visitors are invited to come throughout the day and watch the outdoor street gallery unfold as they listen to great live music.
Taft said the event encompasses a large portion of The Arts Councils
mission in bringing cultural activities out into the public in an
accessible forum. Not only can visitors enjoy the art, but they also have the opportunity take part in its creation. The 2016 Palatka Bicycle Festival
will be held the same day and include many extra activities including
tours, boat rides, and more. Many of these activities will be walking
distance. The River Center will be open to the public as well as tours of the historic Bronson-Mulholland home. Visit putnambluewaysandtrails.org for more information about the 2016 Palatka Bicycle Festival. The
Arts Council’s Executive Director, Denise Aiken, is excited to see the
Chalk Explosion grow as it attracts more attention visitors each year.
Aiken has put much work into cultivating Palatka’s own street painting
event after realizing the impact that similar events have had on small
towns as they have started to become very popular in the past 15 years. The
Arts Council’s Palatka Chalk Explosion appreciates all of its sponsors
and volunteers who continue partner in growing the event each year.
Some of the major sponsors are the Putnam County Tourist Development
Council, Miracle Signs and Designs, Seminole Electric Cooperative, Red
Beards Vapor Lounge, and Attorney Robert M. Perry. A full list of
sponsors and more info about Arts Council programs can be found at
artsinputnam.org. The
Arts Council of Greater Palatka is the designated Local Arts Agency for
Putnam County and continues to provide many cultural programs that are
free and open to the public. With the support of local
businesses, corporations and individuals the Arts Council of Greater
Palatka can continue to be a leading advocate of the arts through
music, art classes, and exhibitions and much more. Events such as the
Palatka Chalk Explosion bring in professional artists and families to
the area, which strengthens the vitality and commerce of Palatka.
| Sponsors
| | | FESTIVAL SPONSOR | |
| | PALETTE SPONSOR | Dr R.A. Perallon DMD 205 Zeagler Dr. Suite 301 386-325-4504 | | Vernon and Linda Myers | Friend of Chalk Explosion | Robert Taylor Architect | | | | | We Believe in this Community | Merril Hanncock and Turner |
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