Art in the Park

At what point does sidewalk chalk become art?

The Sixth Annual Ocala Sidewalk Chalk Festival, also known as Art in the Park, was held on Saturday, April 17, at Tuscawilla Park in downtown Ocala.

The event, sponsored by the Marion County Center for the Arts (MCCA), gives young artists the chance to showcase their drawing skills with chalk.

Artists can enter a contest in one of four categories depending on age level: elementary, middle, high or college. Registration is $12, and includes a set of high quality chalk.

Although younger children and adults are allowed to draw, they can not enter the competition.

At the end of the day, four winners (first place-fourth place) are chosen in each category. The winners receive cash prizes donated by local businesses.

Many high school age artists participated this year, including Forest High School student Samantha Demmi, 17, who drew a portrait of Salvador Dali.

"He is my favorite artist, and usually you see his artwork not him," Demmi said. "I wanted to portray him as a person."

The event drew hundreds to the local park, and although the main focus of the festival was on the art, there were plenty of other activities to participate in.

This year, the festival spotlighted Ocala Fire Fighters with antique fire trucks, fire station tours and rescue demonstrations to celebrate Ocala Fire Rescue's 125th Anniversary.

There was face painting, clowns and a variety of crafts for the kids and free massages and health/stress screenings for adults.

There were also raffles hosted by the MCCA with prizes like a flat screen T.V. and a Tom Tom GPS. And a stage was set-up for performances from local public schools and businesses scheduled throughout the day

Even though this is the festival's sixth year, many locals are not familiar with it.

Jacquelyn Tight, 21, an art student at CFCC, participated in the competition for the first time this year.

"I heard about the festival through word of mouth," Tight said. "I didn't even know this went on."

Tight created a chalk drawing of a still life painting she previously completed for a project at school.

Whether it was to stop by and view the art, to check out the entertainment or to use the sidewalk as a canvas, hundreds participated in this year's Sidewalk Chalk Festival.

The festival continues to allow students to explore their creativity and follow their dreams.

David Williams, 18, a West Port student, is one of these students.

"I started drawing at the age of 5," Williams said. "When I hit eighth grade, that's when I realized I wanted to be an artist."