Call To Artists – Bloom N Chalk Fest

Calling all artists! Artists who work in all types of media are invited to try their hands at Sidewalk Art during the first annual Bloom N Garden N Chalk Fest in Safety Harbor. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, and from 10 to 4 on Sunday, March 29 with a variety of valuable prizes to be awarded during a ceremony at the Safety Harbor Gazebo at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Artists may register on line at www.bloomnchalkfest.com. The deadline to reserve a space in the event is Friday, March 6. Local families are also welcome to pre-register and join the fun during the festival. There are no fees for participation, and chalk will be provided to all of the registered artists without charge.  There will also be a Kids Chalk Garden to allow kids to be creative.

Lee Jones, president of the Florida Chalk Artists Association, will be joined by some other Florida Chalk Artists in creating amazing chalk art during the festival. Jones, who has participated in Chalk Art Festivals across the nation, will also be in Safety Harbor on Saturday, March 14, from 10 to 1 at the Rigsby Center in Safety Harbor to present a free clinic for interested participants who want to know more about techniques involved in sidewalk art as they plan their projects for the upcoming event.

A reception for artists and sponsors will be held at Syd Entel Galleries on Friday, March 27 from 6-9 pm to kick off the opening of the event. As a special incentive to participating artists, Syd Entel Galleries has agreed to provide exhibit space for a limited number of works to be sold and promoted by each participating professional artist during the Festival.

Participants also will be treated to a continental breakfast each morning of the festival as well as free refreshments during the day. In addition to a number of prizes, three art school scholarships will be awarded during the event. The scholarships are to Full Sail University, Ringling School of Art and Design and the University of South Florida School of Art and History.

Local artists Zoran Peshich and Stacy Roth of Harbour Arts were first among Safety Harbor artists to sign up to participate. This event features a number of award categories.   Event sponsors will present a number of unique awards to participants. The sponsors will judge these special competitions.

For example, Tampa Bay Women’s Magazine will choose a winning artist for the best art depicting a Mother and Child, while the Safety Harbor Garden Club will select a winner for the best art that includes flowers in its design. Other sponsors will have categories of their own choosing, and some winners may be chosen in more than one category.

A growing number of area businesses are registering to sponsor the event, which is sure to attract thousands of visitors. Sponsors are still welcome.  In kind sponsorships opportunities are also available. Artists, other adults and youngsters who would like to try their hand at chalk art on the sidewalks are encouraged to register soon to reserve a space. Free entertainment will be offered at the Gazebo on Saturday night.

The Bloom N Garden N Chalk Fest is being planned by the Bloom N Chalk Fest Committee with the support and assistance of the City of Safety Harbor, the Downtown Merchants Association and the Chamber of Commerce. Three Safety Harbor residents are serving as co-chairpersons of the event committee.  Stacy Roth of Harbour Art, Bobbie Wheeler of The Legal Registry and Glen Caristinos, trustee of Safety Harbor Museum, are busy finalizing plans for the festival.

“This is our first time around with a sidewalk art festival, but we feel it is a natural for the people of Safety Harbor and our neighboring communities who really appreciate art,” says Stacy. “I have never worked on sidewalk art myself, but I am looking forward to the new experience and am calling on my fellow artists to join the fun.”  Stacy is a resident of Safety Harbor and a graduate of the Ringling School of Art.

Safety Harbor’s Main Street will be closed to vehicular traffic on the days of the Chalk Fest; however, public parking will be available at the Library, the Museum and the Marina. The street is needed for visitors and artists who will be walking back and forth viewing the sidewalk art.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History. Organizers are anticipating that this will become an annual event in Safety Harbor. Similar events have been held in Lake Worth for the last 15 years, and Walt Disney World sponsors the Festival of the Masters each year.

Written By: Bonnie Walters (Downtown Marketing Advisory Committee)