Courtesy image.
VENTURA — At Ventura County’s only chalk art event, more than 40 talented chalk artists will transform Ventura Harbor Village sidewalks into beautiful works of art during the family-friendly Ventura Art and Street Painting Festival, Sept. 9th and 10th from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Visitors to the seaside event will watch as street painters create spectacular chalk pastel murals along the promenade, and enjoy original artwork available for purchase including paintings, sculptures, woodwork and wearable items. Children visiting the festival can also create art on the sidewalk in the Children’s Chalk Area, run by local group Kids’ Arts, Inc. For $10, children will receive a small box of their own chalk and a sidewalk square where they can create their own masterpiece.
This year, the festival welcomes two world-renowned chalk artists. Ventura resident Tracy Lee Stum, an internationally recognized American street painter and author of “The Art of Chalk”, and Rod Tryon, a Santa Barbara resident who has been street painting for 30 years and has been featured in numerous events in the U.S. and abroad. Tryon’s artwork from the 2015 festival is featured on the event’s flyers this year.
Stum, who was the official artist for the US House at the 2010 Winter Olympics, is also known for her chalk artwork at the Super Bowl XLIX game. She recently created an original street painting for Katy Perry’s Witness World Wide 2017 livestream.
“For me, street painting is absolutely the most joyful form of creative expression I have engaged in,” says Stum. “An event like the Ventura Art and Street Painting Festival is so important because it keeps art alive in our community.”
A veteran street painter, Tryon has been featured in numerous street painting events as well as a documentary film entitled “Life Beyond Earth” and a music video for iCarly’s Miranda Cosgrove.
“After 30 years, I love the temporary nature of the art form and I feel that although the finished product is important, the act of creating the painting is as significant as the finished piece,” said Tryon.
This festival is hosted by Ventura County Art Events, Inc. and is a fundraiser for FOOD Share of Ventura County and Kids Arts Inc.
If you go:
- What: Ventura Art and Street Painting Festival
- When: September 9-10 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Cost: Free
- Where: Ventura Harbor Village
1583 Spinnaker Drive
Ventura, CA 93001
Parking: Free parking for the festival is available on Spinnaker Drive, Ventura Harbor Village parking lots, and public parking in the Ventura Harbor Village overflow at Ventura Isle Marina parking lot. Complimentary rides to the festival are available on the Downtown-Harbor Trolley from California Street, Pierpont neighborhood, and hotels along the waterfront.
Event information: http://www.venturaartfestival.com/ or VenturaHarborVillage.com.