Changing Chalk: a Closer Look at Pavement Art

In Germany it is called strassenmalerie , in Italy, modnnari, and in the U.S., it is pavement art.  For decades now, the sidewalks of America have been covered in chalk.  It used to be that hopscotch courts and marble rings lay in front of every household that had children.  Later, chalk was used by children to create drawings of flowers, and dogs, and everything in between.  Now, the sidewalks and streets of America are still covered in chalk, but for different reasons.   Chalk is used as a medium for street art and as a means of advertising.  Just walking down Academic row on the UMBC campus, one can see a variety of upcoming events advertised.  Similar to this idea are the paw prints that lead to the RAC; they are there to draw you into athletic events.  Besides advertisements and paths to follow, chalk is being used as a medium for artistic expression.  Artists have taken to the streets drawing everything from optical illusions to recreations of famous masterpieces.  Art such as this has become so popular that there are even national and international festivals and competitions.  Today, street art may have religious motives behind it, like Kurt Wenner’s Dies Irae, but many pavement pieces are optical illusions.  Whatever the subject may be, there is no doubt that the tradition of pavement art has come a long way from simple hopscotch courts and marble rings.  Pavement art has changed a great deal over the past decades; what used to be a form of entertainment for children has now grown into a complex art form used, not only to advertise, but to intrigue the minds of the common passerby. 

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This paper will start out by looking at pavement art on an international scale, then narrowing in on the U.S., Baltimore, and then UMBC itself.   A major portion of this paper will focus on the artwork itself, including where it can be found and how it is created.  The artists themselves will also be a major topic.  There are several artists who are very well known for pavement art, one of whom, Michael Kirby, is actually based in Baltimore.  In addition to discussing pavement art in its current form, this paper will address the evolution of sidewalk art over time.  Examining pavement art is significant in that it is a traditional art form deeply rooted in history that people tend to over look.

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Works Cited

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Eff, Elaine. You Should Have Been Here Yesterday. Print.

Masterpieces in Chalk. Perf. Kurt Wenner. Kurt Wenner. 1986. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.kurtwenner.com/gallery_movies/pages/MasterpiecesChalkpt1%23230C61.htm>.

"Murals of Baltimore." Murals of Baltimore. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.muralsofbaltimore.com/index.htm>.

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Park, Malcolm. Three Street Drawings by Gustave Caillebotte. Burlington Magazine. Aug. 2010. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

Pocock, Phillip. The Obvious Illusion : Murals from the Lower East Side. 1980. Photograph. UMBC Library Special Collections, Baltimore.

Rizzo, Mary. The Cafe Hon. Print.