Chalk Festival

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Sarasota, FL
Chalk Festival

An international cultural arts nonprofit focused on the pavement and street arts, including Madonnari and Infiorata (chalk and flowers)

The original international Chalk Festival started in Burns Square, downtown Sarasota in 2007, it moved to the Venice Airport Fairgrounds on Venice Island in 2014, Florida - the Shark-Tooth Capital of the World. Organized by the Avenida de Colores, 501c3 cultural arts organization, a festival was held in Sarasota April 2019 and Venice November 2019. the 3D Illusion Museum was held in Sarasota at th

e Ice House in 2020 featuring over 50 illusions in a museum setting. In 2021 the 'Avenue of Art' is a social distancing event in Burns Square where artists are painting, not chalking, over 300 sidewalks celebrating Sarasota County Centennial. The Chalk Festival 'Spirited Festivities' international event will be held October 29 - November 1, 2021 at the Venice Airport. Go to https://chalkfestival.org for more information.Featured events include 3D illusion paintings, traditional pavement painting, Young and Young at Heart Fun Zone for all, Pavement Music Festival, Vendors, Food Trucks and Beer Gardens.The Festival is a collaboration of artists, volunteers, donors and visitors who bring together, once a year, the best pavement artists in the world while welcoming anyone of any age or skill level to participate along side them. It is a celebration of the ephemeral pavement arts where artists use pastel chalk as their medium and the street surface as their canvas to create over-sized masterpieces as the public is invited to watch the creative process. Hundreds of other artists participate and in a multitude of ways from music, dance, poetry, acting, magic, and much more. In 2014 the Festival artists broke a world record for the Largest Anamorphic Pavement Art. The design by Kurt Wenner measured over 22,000 square feet! It did it again in 2015 with Bacchus and then with the restoration of the Megalodon. The Festival started in 2007 as a regional event. By 2008 it went national with over 100 artists participating. In 2010 the festival became the First International Street Painting Festival in the United States. The 2011 festival attracted, in one location, the most renowned artists in the field of street painting with over 500 artists participating and over 200,000 guests attending the week-long event. The 2012 festival celebrated the theme 'Circus City, USA' and artists from all over used the circus as an inspiration for their artwork - Kurt Wenner, Nik Wallenda and many others put on a great performance event! The theme for the 2013 festival 'Legacy of Valor' honoring Veterans, inspiring patriotism and embracing freedom, "Freedom Pass It On." The 2014 theme was 'Extinct and Endangered Species'; 2015 theme 'Eat, Drink & Be Merry'; 2016 theme 'Love & Peace'; 2017 theme 'Evanescence'; 2019 'Free', 2019 'Garden of Wonder'; April 2022 'Resilience'; October 2022 'Spirited'

12/07/2025

#103 PAINTINGS REMOVED
Francesca Schiavon
Tiger Tamer
Lion Tamer

In 2017, Ringling Circus announced it would end all animal acts, specifically elephant acts. That year, they retired all their animals, which apparently included 16 tigers.

From Verona Italy, Francesca Schiavon focused on Sarasota’s Circus history with this pair of big-cat/tamer sidewalk murals. She and a large cadre of elite international and domestic pavement and fine artists, roughly 40, stayed on in Sarasota after the big Festival at the Venice Airport Festival Grounds in April of 2022. These wonderful people mixed in and interacted with our community artists - all ages and all abilities. Roughly 100 sidewalk murals were added to the existing 70 or so during this time. By July 2024, 300+ sidewalk murals depicting Sarasota County and City covered a mile walking route of our beautiful Burns Square neighborhood. All of them were destroyed recently by the City who provided no notice.

Francesca’s paintings live on here:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/tiger-tamer

https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/lion-tamer

Avenue of Art website:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/

12/04/2025

#102 PAINTING REMOVED
Amanda Dotten (& sons)
Hammerhead

The classic successful City & County community arts testimonial…

Amanda Dotten, her husband Jim and two sons James (14) and William (11) had recently moved to Sarasota for its beauty in beaches and arts (back in 2021)! Originally from Massachusetts-the ocean has always been a true love. This was their first of hopefully many art experiences in Sarasota. As a number of Avenue of Art sidewalk murals are memorials, this is dedicated to Amanda's grandfather who had recently passed away. He was a long time Sarasota resident and supporter of the local arts programs, Daniel J. Rose.

Ocean conservation is vitally important and we hope this painting reminds us of the beautiful marine life surrounding us here in wonderful Sarasota.

Amanda’s painting lives on here:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/hammerhead

Avenue of Art website:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/

12/03/2025

#101 PAINTING REMOVED
Danielle Alana
Shell in Hand

“I was inspired to do this community project because I wanted to be a part of something big that shared art of all kinds with the visitors of Burns Square and beyond, via the Internet.” This local artist loves Sarasota and loves the special moments that Sarasota creates… Moments like finding that one special show that will be the one to take home.

Danielle Alana, a professional Sarasota multi media artist, especially enjoys combining the written word and line art. Her special shell sidewalk mural was unique in the way that the red glitter caught the sun…

A driver could not be distracted by the glittery shell while driving, because one couldn’t see it from the road… nonetheless, this and 300 other paintings were destroyed by the City who provided no notice to the community, the organizers, or anybody.

Danielle’s painting lives on here:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/shell-in-hand

Avenue of Art website:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/

12/02/2025

#100 PEOPLE’S VOICES REMOVED
300+ Paintings by
Hundreds of Local, Regional, Domestic & International artists, age 2 - 85

For 100 consecutive days, we’ve remembered the Avenue of Art sidewalk murals—over 300 paintings created by hundreds of artists ages 2 to 85, from around the world.

Today, on Day 100, we honor not just the art that was destroyed, but the people behind it—their creativity, their joy, and their voices that were silenced suddenly and without notice by the City.

Look into their eyes.
Hear the echo of their voices.

Born in April 2021 during the Covid lockdown, Avenue of Art offered a safe, uplifting space when the world needed hope most.

The Avenue of Art was an ideal community public art project. It mattered because it strengthen both the emotional and economic fabric of Burns Square. On a human level, this public art provided a shared space for expression, healing, and connection - initially celebrating and shedding light on Sarasota’s centennial - the good and some of the ugly that defines us today. It reflected the stories, struggles, and identities of the people who live here, giving residents a sense of belonging and pride. When a community sees its own culture and creativity represented in its public spaces, it fosters empathy, unity, and a feeling that everyone’s voice matters.

From a financial perspective, this was not just decoration - it’s an investment. The Avenue of Art increased foot traffic, supported local businesses, and made the neighborhoods more vibrant and attractive to visitors, investors, and potential residents. It contributed to placemaking, boosted tourism, encouraged cultural events, and enhanced property values. The cost of maintaining and preserving these artworks was far smaller than the long-term economic returns it generated.

Preserving the Avenue of Art was essential because once it was gone, the cultural and financial value it brought cannot simply be recreated. These works captured the history, identity, and spirit of our community at a moment in time. Keeping them intact would have honored that legacy, sustained the economic benefits they brought, and would have ensured future generations could experience and learn from the creativity that helped shape their community.

Sadly, we are still in mourning the multifaceted tragic loss of the Avenue of Art and all the ways it contributed to our community fabric.

🎨 Learn more about the paintings, artists and sponsors: https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/ or message us anytime

12/01/2025

#99 PAINTING REMOVED
Jevon Brown
Love

Jevon Brown painted a very simple word and a very simple message. Not distracting from the street and non-threatening by its very nature, and yes, very colorful.

This sidewalk mural by Jevon Brown and 300 others were destroyed by the city of Sarasota using concrete grinders and gray paint. There was no notification about this action to the community, the artists, nor the public.

Jevon’s painting lives on here:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/love
brown

Avenue of Art website:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/

11/30/2025

#98 PAINTING REMOVED
Olivia D’Amico
It's Okay to Change

Olivia D’Amico is a regional multidisciplinary artist and community organizer based in Bradenton. The message she chose to paint is a powerful one… Does anyone know anyone who might benefit from change? Maybe it’s somebody else, maybe it’s ourselves… This sidewalk mural may be the message that somebody needs to see today. A mural like this might cause someone to muse as to what our community could be like if change were to occur. What would happen if people were not so entrenched in their history and were able to transition into other ideas and feel welcomed by their community? It’s OK to Change. Sounds like an invitation to better oneself or to cause community progress and growth or personal development.

Olivia’s artwork has a distinctive style and often her supportive messages show up in various regional venues, whether it be for local economic development, promoting fellow community artists, or bringing people out to feed them or to enable community exchange.

This painting and 300 others on the Avenue of Art were destroyed by the City who provided no notice.

Olivia‘s painting lives on here:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/its-okay

Avenue of Art website:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/

11/29/2025

#97 PAINTING REMOVED
Kaitlin Boeras
Lido Beach Wade in

The variety of people that stepped forward to paint sidewalk murals for the Avenue of Art was very interesting. Kaitlin Boeras was extremely diligent about her composition and her technique, receiving coaching and advice from those around her and experimenting with texture. Her painting lives on here:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/wade-in

Kaitlin Boreas chose the topic of a Wade In at Lido Beach and the activation of allowing its access to Black people, which she was very passionate about - the notion of public access, or racial exclusion, to our beaches. Many in our community struggled to right this inequality and discrimination. For an excellent article about the Wade-ins, refer to Nannette Crist‘s writing at a different Avenue of Art painting:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/casperson-beach-wade-in

There were two paintings about Wade In’s on the Avenue of Art, painted by artists from very different demographics, representing the capacity to understand, respect, and recognize these struggles as reminders of how to treat each other today. Luther Roseboro, as referenced in earlier posts, painted an experience from Casperson Beach in Venice.

Neither one of these paintings were visible from the street, and certainly did not pose a safety hazard… that’s common sense. This FDOT mandate has little to do with safety nor common sense. These paintings and 300 others were destroyed by the City who provided no notice to anybody.

Avenue of Art website:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/

11/28/2025

#96 PAINTING REMOVED
Dianne Frestel
Seahorse Underwater

Walking south on Pineapple Avenue S, past the variety of shops like iOptics, Motel Therapy, Project Coffee, Sarasota Auction House and others, had an added level of charm, “Florida feels” and engagement with soft colors and beautiful paintings under foot. The testimonial from Dianne Frestel, a local artist and art teacher, says much about Covid‘s impact on people and, despite all the difficulties, beautiful outcomes that occurred. She says:
"It was a treasure to share my talents with my community! As an artist and an art teacher for multiple years, it has been my passion to communicate visual arts. During the sequestered time of Covid, I decided to create all my greeting cards myself to my family and friends. My favorite subject matter was seahorses. When I saw the request for volunteers to paint on the sidewalk, I replicated one of my watercolors to the pavement. What a challenge to go from paper to concrete. But it was a joy. The seahorse is a delightful creature."

Dianne‘s painting and 300 others were destroyed with concrete grinders and gray paint over the course of about a month by the City who provided no notice.

Dianne’s painting lives on here:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/seahorse-underwater

Avenue of Art website:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/

11/27/2025

#95 PAINTINGS REMOVED
Emily Heiler
Utz Map of Sarasota
Mangrove Forests

Emily Heiler is a 2021 graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design who created this striking sidewalk mural based on a vintage Thornton Utz Map of Sarasota on the Avenue of Art. She is currently an art teacher at a high school in the Bronx, New York.

A sense of place helps us feel grounded, welcomed, and connected to our community — maybe that’s why maps have always fascinated people. Emily Heiler’s mural, a fun reproduction of a classic Thornton Utz map, invited folks to pause, look down, and talk about where we are in the world — and how we fit into it.

Thornton Utz, the artist behind the original map, was a renowned illustrator celebrated for his rich portfolio of Saturday Evening Post covers capturing everyday American life. Utz designed and built his home on Siesta Key, where he became deeply involved in Sarasota’s arts community and served as a Trustee of what is now Ringling College of Art and Design.

This painting, along with two other nearby maps and paintings of Ringling Brothers, and Selby and 300 other Sarasota County celebratory sidewalk murals were destroyed by the City of Sarasota with grinders and grey paint without notifying anybody.

Emily‘s paintings lives on here:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/utz-map

https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/mangrove-forests

Avenue of Art website:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/

11/26/2025

#94 PAINTING REMOVED
Christine Lasiewicki

Along the long sidewalk in front of the large black-and-white retro mural commissioned by the Sarasota Int’l Chalk Festival over a decade ago, visitors often stopped to soak in this vibrant stretch of paintings. Tour guides and art docents highlighted the murals, the historic Burns Square Hotel, and the artwork beneath their feet—portraits of the Ringlings, the founder of Venice Theater, and three maps among other subjects. One map, painted by Sarasota artist Christine Lasiewicki, revealed the origin of the city’s name, Zara Zota, tracing Sarasota’s roots from Indigenous peoples to Spanish influence. Research suggests the name may stem from Spanish with Arabic influences from the 1700s. An informative article tells more and this entry helped earn the Avenue of Art the 2023 Heritage Award from the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation for its use of archival materials to educate the public on Sarasota’s heritage.

Despite partial City funding and stated support, more than 300 paintings were destroyed under the pretext of an FDOT mandate—grinders and grey paint silencing hundreds of artists and erasing a cultural landmark without public notice.

Chrisy, a local freelance graphic artist and art teacher, created the Zara Zota painting, which lives here:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/zara-zota

Dozens of narratives by Nanette Crist further enriched the project, also contributing to the Heritage Award. Explore the full collection online, where visitors can “step” from one painting to the next and learn the stories behind them:
Avenue of Art website:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/

11/25/2025

#93 PAINTING REMOVED
Caroline Beattie
Nature was Smiling

Sarasota Springs… Nature was smiling when she was made… was a wonderful marketing slogan in the 1950s and a unique outlook as a personal mantra. The artist, Caroline Beattie, certainly was smiling when she made this sidewalk mural. In fact this Ringling student modified the retro postcard, making it a self portrait, which is a playful and uniquely Sarasota symbol of being part of a community.

This whimsical addition to the Avenue of Art and 300 other paintings were reduced to dust with grinders and then painted gray by the City who provided no notice.

Caroline Beattie’s painting lives here:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/artwork/nature-was-smiling

Avenue of Art website:
https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/

Address

Burns Square
Sarasota, FL
34236

Telephone

+19414888877

Website

https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/, https://chalkfestival.org/

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