Saturday saw an amazing (if wet) Chalkfest 2009. This year’s Chalkfest brought 75 artists to Eau Claire’s Wilson Park for a firestorm of creativity – 56 panels of sidewalk became concrete canvases for the artists, most of whom were locals. The event weathered a number of storms and bunch of rainfall, but the park was packed all day long with people viewing the art and enjoying the side activities, food, music, and fun. Since the rain had (poetically) washed away much of the art (and strings of electric lights don’t play well with lots of water), this year’s “Nightlight Reception” awards ceremony was cancelled and replaced with a brief ceremony earlier in the evening (the judges for the juried awards graciously came early).

We all regret the event had to be cut short, but considering the water-logging storm the night before, an early-morning flooding of the Wilson Park fountain, and the afternoon rain, we think Chalkfest 2009 fared about as well as it could have. Between all the water, the threat of more, and a tornado watch, canceling the rest of the event was a tough but important call to make. Spirits were still high, and we had several dry hours for many of the artists to complete some amazing work. The caliber of art surpassed last year’s fest, and we were once again delighted and inspired by the sheer amount of local artistic talent. Thanks to all who came!

Pictures:

• Chalkfest 2009: Chalking It Up (Gallery 1)
  Chalkfest 2009: Before the Rain (Gallery 2)
  Chalkfest 2009: After the Rain (Gallery 3)
  Chalkfest 2009: The Nightlife (Gallery 4)

Local Coverage: Leader-Telegram, WEAU TV13, WQOW TV18 (see video in "Local News Video")

A big thanks to our 2009 sponsors: Downtown Eau Claire Inc., Deborah Becker (State Farm Insurance), B-Framed Galleries, MEP Associates LLC, Chippewa Valley Museum, Cap-N-Corks, Yankee Jack's Pub and Grille, Midwest Dental, Benny HaHa, Matistry, Caradori Pottery, Truckers Union, and the Eau Claire YMCA.