Cambridge Rotary - Chalk on the Walk - Information for Artists

Chalk on the Walk will be on Sunday, May 6th (no rain date). You may begin working at any time after 10:00 am. It is best to start by 11:00 am so you will have time to finish your work and visit other events at the Harvard Square MayFair.

Please come to the registration table on Church Street to get your square number/location and pick up your chalk. You may use only chalks provided by the Rotary Club of Cambridge. Drawing is done directly on the asphalt – just like graffiti.

Let your imagination run wild. Reproduce a renaissance painting, or a family photograph, or create a fantasy landscape, or a cartoon, or portrait – whatever of drama and color and beauty and fun the artist and the sponsor want as their pictorial contribution to the Harvard Square MayFair.

Important Suggestions:

We encourage street painters to sign their work at the bottom of the drawing. You may also write your name underneath/beside the name of the sponsor for your square.
If you are reproducing an image originally created by another artist (living or deceased), it is important to credit the original artist and the title at the base of your drawing.
We expect the area to be crowded, so please try to keep your supplies and belongings to a minimum and well contained.
Please respect the street painters who are working near you. Please do not walk on their drawings or have open beverage containers, which could spill and damage a drawing.
If you need more chalk in particular colors, you can exchange colors with other street painters, as is the custom at the street painting festivals in Italy.
Another street painting custom is to place a small basket on your drawing to encourage contributions from the public. You may also set up a very small table with information about your work.
Sorry, no dogs are allowed at Chalk on the Walk.
Artwork must be appropriate for public viewing. Only chalk/pastels in solid form may be used for street painting, no acrylic paints, liquid pastels, etc are acceptable.
Chalk on the Walk is entitled to photograph and reproduce the street painting for purposes of historical record and future publicity.
Please - no fixatives of any kind may be used on the chalk drawings.
Please - no boom-boxes allowed; please use portable head-sets to listen to music.

Supplies you may want to bring

Whisk broom or brush for cleaning drawing surface
Chalkboard eraser for blending larger areas of color - an excellent tool for laying a basic undercoat of color covering your square onto which other colors may be applied. Also for blending, a plastic sheet, felt, and short cut brushes.
Masking tape for creating sharp borders, edges or geometry
A portable dust-buster is handy to remove excess chalk dust. Because it is not healthy to breathe in chalk dust, please do not blow or fan the chalk dust into the air.
Disposable latex gloves are excellent for blending colors with fingers and for protection.
A 2-by-2 piece of cardboard allows one to sit or stand on the drawing without disturbing the work.
A towel or paper towels for wiping up
If showers are threatened, you may want to bring a plastic drop cloth to cover your work temporarily.
If the weather is warm, bring a hat or visor and sunscreen for protections from the sun, and a capped container with drinking water.

Parking

Parking is always difficult in Cambridge, and particularly for the Harvard Square MayFair. It is recommended to take the MBTA to the Harvard Square stop and walk to Church Street.

Chalk on the Walk - Sunday, May 6, 2012 on Church Street between Mass. Ave. and Brattle Street. Sponsored by The Cambridge Rotary Educational Fund, Inc.