In 16^th Century Italy, artists would hone their skills by copying the works of established artists using chalk on the plazas outside the cathedrals. The beauty of the practice was that all of the works—no matter how beautiful or horrid—would be washed away by the rains.

This Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20 and 21, the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) invites artists of all levels and abilities to join professional chalk artists, community groups, families, and other individuals on the south plaza and walkways that wind through the Fine Arts Garden and down to Wade Lagoon to create a colorful canvas of self-expression using sidewalk chalk at the museum’s 36th annual Chalk Festival.

Cleveland Museum of Art's 2024 Chalk FestivalThe CMA Chalk Festival was started in 1990 as a modern expression of a Renaissance tradition from 16th Century Italy in which artists copied paintings of the Madonna by Italian painter and architect Raphael and his contemporaries using chalk on the plazas outside cathedrals.

This year’s professional artists include Raymond Rodriguez, Sylvia Munodawafa, Nathalie Bermudez, Mark Alexander Dawson, and Jennifer Price.

Artists of all talents are welcome to chalk their own Madonna renditions. Visitors who want to chalk a masterpiece can purchase a pavement square. Visit the registration tent in the Fine Arts Garden to purchase a pavement square. A small square is $15 and includes a set of 12 chalk pastels; a large square is $20 and includes 24 chalk pastels.

CMA reserves the right to cover any work that contains a political message, hate speech, or other content that may be inappropriate for a family-friendly program.