Artists look forward to second annual street art festival in Bigfork

Artists will take to the streets this weekend for Bigfork’s second Chalk ‘n Rock Festival.

Artists from Bigfork and beyond will be creating art on the pavement of Electric Avenue on Saturday, and will finish their works on Sunday.

Street art festivals date back to the middle ages in Italy, and have become popular around the globe.

For Bigfork artist Tom Lewis, last year’s Chalk ‘n Rock Festival was his first time participating in a street art event.

“It was an interesting process,” he said. “It was enjoyable. It gave me a chance to participate in a community activity, and the camaraderie between the artists was fantastic.”

Lewis typically works with oil paints, and said that while drawing on the ground in chalk is different, it wasn’t any harder.

However, he said, street painting becomes a kind of performance.

“People are watching how you might draw or paint or lay color in,” Lewis said. “It’s not something that most people do very often. It’s kind of interesting for some of the people. That’s no different from painting, you’re painting for people’s pleasure.”

Lewis said he signed up for the festival last year because he thought it looked like an interesting opportunity for some exposure, though within hours of the end of the festival, all their hard work will get washed away.

“By the time the restaurants open it’s gone,” he said. “It’s sort of an exercise of enhancing your skill and ability and experience.”

Lewis was impressed with the turnout at last year’s festival.

“I had never even seen one,” he said. “But I thought certainly for the first time that Bigfork did it, they did a spectacularly good job. It was amazing to me how many people showed up.”

Veteran street artist Bill Spiess will also make his second appearance at the Bigfork Chalk ‘ n Rock Festival. Last year he appeared as a guest artist, and the environment of the festival is part of what is bringing him from Belgrade to Bigfork for the weekend.

Spiess has been participating in street painting festivals around the country for 16 years. He has been a professional painter for many more. He has participated in festivals where more than 50,000 people attend, and said he likes the smaller setting in Bigfork.

“You can’t beat the venue,” he said. “Bigfork’s perfect. It’s small, intimate, very nice and charming. I like the small venues, it gets you closer to the people.”

Spiess thinks the Chalk ‘n Rock Festival will stick around, and continue to grow over the years. “I think we could probably, within two or three years, double the size of the festival,” he said.

Lewis said he was also impressed with the children who attended. Youths can purchase small squares and create their own art along with the professionals.

“The kids did some amazing things in those squares,” Lewis said.

The Festival will go on rain or shine. Spiess said he has only ever been rained out onces in his years of street painting.

“Rain is a challenge wherever you have an outdoor activity,” founder David Vale said. “Last year the weather was beautiful both days. But rain is always a threat and you deal with rain by covering up and continuing on as soon as it’s over. In the end, the ephemeral nature of this medium is part of what makes it so engaging.”

Last year the event was primarily organized by Vale, and Sandy and Monte Stanford. This year the Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce took on the event.

The Chalk ’n Rock Festival is free to the artists and to the visitors.  It will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  

For more information, see the Festival website at www.ChalkNRock.org or contact the Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce at 837-5888.