VOLUME ONE MAGAZINE PRESS RELEASE
Mailed: 8-3-09
Re: Chalkfest - an Eau Claire art festival
Contact: Nick Meyer, office: 715-552-0457, cell: 715-497-8903
or email at: nick at volumeone dot org

WHAT: A FREE art festival featuring professional and amateur artists doing amazing, large-scale chalk artwork on the sidewalks of Wilson Park, plus many exciting peripheral activities.
WHEN: Saturday, August 8.  All day and into the evening. Gallery day on Sunday, Aug. 9.
WHERE: Wilson Park, between Farwell and Barstow streets in downtown Eau Claire
WHO: Artists, Families, Friends & Neighbors
 
KEY INFO:  More than 65 artists have pre-registered to participate in the second-year event so far, where roughly 40 participated in the first year. While the majority of artists are from the Chippewa Valley, artists have registered from as far away as St. Paul, Wausau, and Milwaukee. Organizers expect several thousand people to view the art throughout the day.

WHAT IS IT?: Imagine a small park overtaken by a day-long firestorm of creativity and positive community energy culminating in yards and yards of sidewalk space displaying jaw-dropping chalk artwork. That's Chalkfest. This second annual event will take place in beautiful Wilson Park, between Farwell and Barstow Streets.  This park has two large sidewalks running through it (and sidewalks around the perimeter), where artists from throughout the area will create elaborate, large-scale chalk artwork (see attached images from 2008 for an idea). There will be food vendors, music, chalk-related games (including Pictionary tournaments, artist duels, etc) and much more. There will also be an area for kids to do sidewalk chalk. Throughout the day, artists will create their work as thousands of visitors watch their drawings come to life. Then in the evening, once its dark, there will be a large "closing reception" where the whole park, the fountain, and all the trees will be illuminated from below and people can view the finished work. The event vibe will be a mix of urban artistry, daytime festival/nighttime energy, and family-friendly fun. It takes place in conjunction with Summerfest in downtown Eau Claire.
 
PHOTOS AVAILABLE: High resolution images are available for publication purposes, contact us for a variety of options.
 
ARTIST CONTACT INFO AVAILABLE: We can connect media with artists who have participated in the past and/or are participating again in 2009.
 
ABOUT VOLUME ONE: Volume One is a fast-growing culture and entertainment publication and website for the Chippewa Valley. In print, they produce 13,000 copies every two weeks and distribute them FREE at more than 300 locations in Eau Claire, Menomonie, and Chippewa Falls. Online, more than 1,000 people visit VolumeOne.org daily for the latest in local happenings, events, and multimedia. Publishing since 2002, Volume One has an enthusiastic and engaged readership, and has always been focused on bringing interesting local culture forward in the Chippewa Valley. Their events are outside-the-box concepts that consistently bring out hundreds of people hungry for something new.