Most days, a visit to Bountiful’s charming Main Street means shopping the street’s unique boutiques, enjoying a relaxed lunch at a local eatery, or simply taking in the rare small-town vibe so close to Salt Lake. During four days each summer, however, thousands go for the art.
Magic on the Sidewalk: Bountiful Chalk Art Festival, running Wednesday, June 3, to Saturday, June 6, welcomes artists ages 10 and up to create chalk masterpieces on about 240 squares of Main Street’s sidewalks. Artists are welcome to compete individually, or work as a team to create lifelike portraits, vibrant cartoon characters or eye-popping examples of illusion—all at risk of dissolution with a single drop of rain, or careless shuffled step. It’s their inherent temporary nature that makes each chalk piece that much more remarkable.
“On Friday and Saturday, at some times, it’s shoulder to shoulder people,” said David Joy, executive director of Joy Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts the festival. “It’s really fun. If you’re a people person, or if you just appreciate art, you’ll love it.”
Along with enjoying the fleeting urban masterpieces, attendees can also vote on their favorite works in several categories for an awards ceremony held on Saturday evening. Buskers fill the walkways with music Thursday to Saturday, and throughout the festival, families can search for hidden markers or items in a scavenger hunt game, then claim a reward at the event’s main tent.
“You never know what you’re going to get with the art,” David said, though organizers advise artists to keep their work family-friendly and apolitical. Last year’s winning piece in the adults category featured a stained-glass style landscape, other highlights included a pop-art spaceman and Disney’s staple characters in front of the park’s Haunted Mansion.
While the festival is free for the public to view, Joy Foundation posts QR codes along the way to garner donations to support its community art projects, like the festival, and work with juvenile courts to offer art projects as community service.
Jane Joy, an art instructor who founded the nonprofit, started the festival in 2006 after seeing the street’s hundreds of sidewalk squares as potential canvases. “Jane, or Mom as I call her, has had a passion for art for as long back as I can remember,” David said. “Seeing the sheer joy that it has brought into her life—and eventually the lives of others while teaching art to youth in custody or hosting after-school classes at Joy Foundation—you realize what an impact art can have on an individual’s self-worth, confidence and love for life.”
created by artist Trevor Wirth. Photo Courtesy of Joy Foundation
Wicked movie poster. Photo Courtesy of Joy Foundation
The foundation reserves a handful of public squares for paid, featured artists. Interested participants begin registering in April, and though spots tend to fill quickly, David also invites artists who learn about the festival later to join a first-come, first-served waiting list for spots that open up. Registration includes a small fee to cover art supplies and a T-shirt.
What impresses him most about the artists? Their tenacity and perseverance. “We’ve had artists almost complete their art, and then the rain comes and destroys it, and the next day they’re there, and they do it again.”
While the art, by nature, is temporary, the festival itself has become a Bountiful tradition. “It has been amazing every year,” David said.
Visit kidsfindjoy.org to register or find more information.
So, you think you can chalk?
Bountiful Chalk Art Festival participants compete in friendly competition judged by festivalgoers, culminating in an awards ceremony. If you have the skills, here are the contest categories: Ages 10–13 individual (1st through 3rd and honorable mentions), ages 14–17 individual (1st through 3rd and honorable mentions), adult individual (1st through 3rd and honorable mentions), youth team ages 10–17 (1st place only and honorable mentions), and adult team (1st place only and honorable mentions). Categories are subject to change based on number of participants.
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