On Sunday artists used chalk instead of paint and cement instead of a canvas.
The LSU Union Art Gallery Committee held the first LSU Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival Sunday on the sidewalk in front of the Union, bordering the Parade Ground. Artists were given chalk and a 5-foot square of cement for $10. They used anything from the required material of chalk to the shadows cast on the cement by nearby trees to create their temporary artwork. Four winners were picked to receive $100 prize money each.
The Union Art Gallery Director Judy Stahl said the festival was the brainchild of the art gallery committee, which is composed of faculty, staff and students.
Stahl said the festival was open to four groups – LSU student organizations, LSU individuals, community artists and community organizations.
“This is our first year, and I think we have close to 40 participants,” Stahl said.
The participants were mostly LSU individuals, but Delta Gamma sorority and “One on One Printmakers” the LSU organization group were also competitors.
Some of the crowd was made up of members of the Baton Rouge community, which was one of the committee’s goals.
“We wanted to make it a community event, one where students can share with the community,” Stahl said.
The event is in its first year, but has every chance of occurring again.
“It will be up to the committee whether we want to do it again,” Stahl said.
Lorraine Lorio, a volunteer for the student committee for the LSU Union Art Gallery and mass communication freshman, said the idea was not original but has worked out well.
“[Savannah College of Art and Design] does a sidewalk chalk fest, so we copied them,” Lorio said.
Lorio said she was surprised by the number of artists that joined the festival on the Parade Ground.
“There were definitely more than we expected to turn out because it’s the first year,” Lorio said.
Landscape architecture junior Abby Cantrell began working on her piece “There’s No Place Like Home” at 9 a.m. Three hours later, the piece was finally complete.
“It’s a swamp sunset, if you can’t tell,” Cantrell said.
Cantrell said Charles Fryling, her landscape architecture professor, offered extra credit for all who created and submitted a piece in the sidewalk chalk art festival. But that was not her only reason for being there.
“We could do it for extra credit, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to try, because it’s special to get your art publicly displayed,” Cantrell said. “And anyway, it’s fun.”
Cantrell said she grew up creating art but nothing quite like what she created Sunday.
“It’s different, because I’ve never done anything real with chalk,” Cantrell said. “It’s fun because you get to work with the texture of the ground.”
Cantrell said it was quite an enjoyable experience and one that she would like to repeat.
“I’ll definitely do it again,” Cantrell said.
The four winning pieces were “Sidewalk of the Future” by Charles Bareier, Clark Berbes and Hunter Roth; “Teatime” by Paul McKinney and Zach Broussard; “Boy with Work” by Henry Dalton; and “Sarcophagus” by Juliet Lockwood.
Lockwood, a community artist, said she rarely does “performance art,” making art while others watch.
“I had a stomachache before I even got here,” Lockwood said. “I’m not used to doing it in front of other people.”
Lockwood was surprised by her victory.
“I never thought I would win,” Lockwood said.
 
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