Over Labor Day weekend for the past three-plus decades, families from all over the Sacramento region have traveled to Sacramento’s Fremont Park with chalk in tow. Children grab pieces of chalk, marveling at the work of older artists nearby. And when these kids crouch on the ground, they become artists as well, sketching away to create an art piece before it is washed away at the end of the event.
Although the art is gone, the memories linger. In the future, these children may grow up to be like the professionals they once found inspiring.
The Chalk It Up! Chalk Art and Music Festival was created by local artists and musicians to celebrate each other and to allow creatives to inspire the public, says Chalk It Up Executive Director Christy Jourdan. This year’s event is the 35th anniversary.
“Every kid has a bucket of chalk at home,” Jourdan says. “I love the idea of them being inspired to see that it is an art form. It’s fun for play but it inspires art and collaboration because you can work on art together.”
Organized by volunteer-led nonprofit Chalk It Up To Sacramento, Chalk It Up is an annual festival held for three days — this year from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 — where artists sign up to create chalk art, inspired by the Italian tradition of creating art in public, Jourdan says.
The nonprofit, which also provides art education grants to schools, keeps the event free so people of all walks of life can come. Although artists sign up to work within sponsored squares assigned to them, others are encouraged to make their own work in the park regardless of age or experience with chalk.
The Chalk It Up! Chalk Art and Music Festival was created by local artists and musicians to celebrate each other and to allow creatives to inspire the public, says Chalk It Up Executive Director Christy Jourdan. This year’s event is the 35th anniversary.
“Every kid has a bucket of chalk at home,” Jourdan says. “I love the idea of them being inspired to see that it is an art form. It’s fun for play but it inspires art and collaboration because you can work on art together.”
Organized by volunteer-led nonprofit Chalk It Up To Sacramento, Chalk It Up is an annual festival held for three days — this year from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 — where artists sign up to create chalk art, inspired by the Italian tradition of creating art in public, Jourdan says.
The nonprofit, which also provides art education grants to schools, keeps the event free so people of all walks of life can come. Although artists sign up to work within sponsored squares assigned to them, others are encouraged to make their own work in the park regardless of age or experience with chalk.
One such artist is Dawn Pedersen. Although Pedersen typically works with latex and acrylic paint on canvas, she has been participating in the festival since 1994. While she describes herself as introverted, she says she enjoys the process of making art publicly and having others interact with her while she works. She also likes when children approach and ask her questions.
“I like that as an artist I’m approachable by children and I can give them responses,” Pedersen says. “I do feel like it’s very encouraging for any child who wants to pursue art, that they can see that all ages are there making art and they can do it too.”
Aside from the art, the event also features live music performed by numerous local musicians. Rob Meyer, bass player for various local bands including rockability group Leaping Blennies — who will perform this year — has played at the festival multiple times and considers it an opportunity to see different approaches to performance.
“There’s a really rich diversity in the styles of music and it’s only gotten better,” Meyer says. “One of the things that’s always interesting to me, [is] to meet the bands, or to watch the bands of younger musician youth that are sort of just coming out and really getting into a space where they’re good and they have something to contribute.”
Leaping Blennies have released a song named after the festival in support of it. Meyer says the festival is always a positive environment and that he’s been impressed with what the nonprofit does, especially for arts education.
“I like that as an artist I’m approachable by children and I can give them responses,” Pedersen says. “I do feel like it’s very encouraging for any child who wants to pursue art, that they can see that all ages are there making art and they can do it too.”
Aside from the art, the event also features live music performed by numerous local musicians. Rob Meyer, bass player for various local bands including rockability group Leaping Blennies — who will perform this year — has played at the festival multiple times and considers it an opportunity to see different approaches to performance.
“There’s a really rich diversity in the styles of music and it’s only gotten better,” Meyer says. “One of the things that’s always interesting to me, [is] to meet the bands, or to watch the bands of younger musician youth that are sort of just coming out and really getting into a space where they’re good and they have something to contribute.”
Leaping Blennies have released a song named after the festival in support of it. Meyer says the festival is always a positive environment and that he’s been impressed with what the nonprofit does, especially for arts education.
“If you have that opportunity to share what you’re passionate about and in this case, playing music, you know, take advantage of that and really enjoy it,” Meyer says. “It’s always been something that I’ve been terribly committed to in any of the bands that I play in. I’m always just so proud that if we’re available, to be able to be there and help.”
Pedersen feels similarly, adding that the event is one of the longest running ones she’s been involved in.
“It provides so much for kids’ art education in the region because schools have been just losing funding for arts education more and more as the decades go on,” Henderson says. “That’s something that I feel very strongly about. I have my personal reasons for doing it and enjoying it and wanting to be there, but I also feel really strongly about the mission of Chalk It Up and about children’s art education.”
Jourdan, who originally began as a volunteer in 2015 before becoming director in 2019, considers the work put into the festival a labor of love. She considers the ability to give back to an event she’s attended since its conception meaningful, she added.
“We celebrate each other,” Jourdan says. “While the festival is a celebration of the arts and artists, it’s also a celebration of the fact that we are lucky enough to live in an area that celebrates arts.”
Pedersen feels similarly, adding that the event is one of the longest running ones she’s been involved in.
“It provides so much for kids’ art education in the region because schools have been just losing funding for arts education more and more as the decades go on,” Henderson says. “That’s something that I feel very strongly about. I have my personal reasons for doing it and enjoying it and wanting to be there, but I also feel really strongly about the mission of Chalk It Up and about children’s art education.”
Jourdan, who originally began as a volunteer in 2015 before becoming director in 2019, considers the work put into the festival a labor of love. She considers the ability to give back to an event she’s attended since its conception meaningful, she added.
“We celebrate each other,” Jourdan says. “While the festival is a celebration of the arts and artists, it’s also a celebration of the fact that we are lucky enough to live in an area that celebrates arts.”
This story is part of the Solving Sacramento journalism collaborative. This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics, the city had no editorial influence over this story. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Hmong Daily News, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Observer. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.