#Breckenridge #Colorado
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| Liam Doran / Courtesy Breckenridge Creative Arts |
Breckenridge Creative Arts announces the return of its three-day Street Arts Festival as part of the Fourth of July weekend activities in Breckenridge. Now in its second year, the festival, which runs July 2–4 from noon to 4 p.m. each day, transforms the downtown Breckenridge Arts District, from Ridge Street along Washington Avenue to Main Street, into a place where community artists of all ages gather — joining established graffiti, chalk, hip-hop and breakdance artists — to make art.
“Drawing with chalk and playing with paint is very nostalgic,” Robb Woulfe, president of Breckenridge Creative Arts, the producer of the Street Arts Festival, said in a statement. “It brings back memories so many of us share. We think this is a great opportunity for people to connect, to express themselves creatively, and also to see some excellent work by our featured artists.”
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, the Street Arts Festival features outdoor murals, installations and performances with some of the best regional and national artists working across the street arts disciplines. There will be demonstrations by graffiti artists, who will be creating family-friendly spray paint works on freestanding canvases and special cellophane strung between lampposts. Professional chalk artists will render their visions on asphalt. There will be a DJ spinning tunes, a break dancing group throwing down, and hip-hop dance classes offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Studios on the Arts District campus will also be animated throughout the festival with free make-and-take art projects for families and children.
This year’s festival highlights include: 3-D pavement drawings and sidewalk illusion by chalk artists Naomi Haverland, Micah Hollenbeck, Benjamin Hummel and Cara Lynch; temporary graffiti murals by “Gamma” Acosta, Jeremiah Clark “Jher451”, Chuck “Emit” and James “East” Foster; and breakdance performances and hip-hop classes offered by members from Streetside South, a Denver dance training studio.
And, of course, the annual chalk art contest returns — a Fourth of July favorite that has been going on for more than a decade. Participants spend a couple hours completing their chalk drawings on Washington Avenue, followed by judging and awards. The chalk art contest, which is free and designed for children and teens, starts on Monday, July 4 at noon and offers cash prizes for first through third place in each age group. Participants can sign-up and get their chalk at the Fuqua Livery Stable; the numbered chalk squares are located on Washington Avenue. Contest judging begins at 3 p.m., and winners will be announced at 4 p.m.
“It’s exciting to see the street filled with families and kids being creative,” said Jenn Cram, BCA’s director of public programs and engagement, in a statement. “Washington Avenue becomes bright and colorful for a moment in time — and then the rain comes and washes it all away. It’s true ephemeral art.”
Artists in the Street Arts Festival will be working and performing throughout the weekend with visual artworks being completed by 4 p.m. on July 4. Graffiti and chalk art will be on display through July 4.
Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.
