Call for Artists

Kansas City Chalk and Walk is a great opportunity to showcase your artistic talents by creating a masterpiece through an uncommon medium: chalk!  We are currently taking applications for chalk muralists.  Please apply only if you are available for the two days of the event.

Download the application HERE and email to kcchalkandwalk@aol.com or mail to:

Kansas City Chalk and Walk Festival
P.O. Box 45511
Kansas City, MO 64171-8511

Letters from Past Artists

It saddens me to see art programs being taken away from our children. When I was a child Art Class was one of the few places I could express myself. I was very shy and awkward growing up and I found myself only being comfortable in Art Class. It was a great opportunity to visualize your dreams. It was also a great social experience; being able to share those dreams put on paper with your peers. The KC Chalk and Walk has a great cause, it’s giving children who are already in an unfortunate position to be able to express themselves and dive into a world of creativity and possibilities. I also feel the festival itself is a wonderful opportunity for families to come and spend a day together.
~ Callista Bond

When working on my art, I thought about some of the techniques I use, it would not be suitable to use a helper who is unfamiliar with pastels. My dear husband was my support during the event. He kept me comfortable, handed my pastels to me, and spoke to the crowd when I was working on a difficult area. The volunteers did a wonderful job of keeping us hydrated and happy as well! By the time I realized others were using helpers to “chalk areas” I had already prepared myself to complete the art alone. My Husband/Helper was a lifesaver!
The festivities were very fitting for the event. I enjoy percussion so the drummers were a nice way to drift creatively. I enjoyed the costumes of the performers and how they kept the crowds attention.
~ Sheri So

My love of creating art prompted me to come from Lincoln, Ne. to participate in the Kansas City Chalk and Walk festival this year. Although I have participated in other chalk festivals, this one was especially fun with all the other events music, fire shows, face painting and street performers , etc.The staff were very helpful with distributing chalk palettes, water and goodies, and the goodie bags that we received were so wonderful! Thank you so much to Hallmark for providing them. I would like also to thank the sponsors (Applebees for me) for graciously funding our spaces, they even came around to praise my artwork and hand out coupons to their business.
This event seems to draw a lot of interested people enjoying their selves and thanks to you, Lotti and your great staff, I think this gives the community a chance to enjoy artwork on a more personal level and enriches the lives of our young and older people alike.
~ Linda Thomas

My Name is Kathleen Hammond. I am an Art teacher at University Academy College Preparatory Charter School in Kansas City, Missouri. Our school is inner city and my students are mostly on the free and reduced lunch plan- indicating their low family income level. This is such a wonderful experience for them- I cannot praise the benefits of this festival for the kids enough! The Chalk andWalk Festival is something they might not even know about or attend, much less participate in- were it not for this wonderful opportunity Lotti Halpern and the sponsors provide.
My students and I have participated in the Chalk and Walk Festival for three years now. The students are all volunteers – (the juniors and seniors receive community service hours for their time, which they need to graduate.) That, however, is not the reason they show up- it’s for the love of art! This is such a wonderful adventure for them- to make art side by side with other artists from around the city or even the country- and in front of a live audience. It is so fulfilling to me as a mentor to see them so passionate and committed! We create the artwork together, prep together, and then come together, in shifts, to make it happen over a fun-filled weekend! They are so inspired by the festival goers and the other artists- they get pumped up when they see the caliber of work coming out of other artists- it really drives them to do their best. It inspires them having people stop and say how good it looks, to recognize them as artists, and praise their work. There’s nothing like it for up and coming artists! I have also seen it inspire younger kids passing by, who then want to go to the children’s area and create their own art!
The other performers, musicians, face painters, dancers, etc., add such a wonderful flavor to the entire weekend- it really has a festive, creative vibe all weekend! I look forward to participating with new and returning artists year after year!
~ Kathleen Hammond

Dear Lotti,
I would like to thank you for the outstanding opportunity to take part in the 2012 Kansas City Chalk and Walk.  The performance companies from Legacy School of the Arts, Ballet Legacy and Legacy Company, had a terrific experience being part of the Chalk and Walk at Crown Center.  We are always looking for new ways to introduce our students and their families to the visual and performing arts events happening in Kansas City and for them to take an active part in creating an artistic ambiance at such a vital event was inspiring.
Legacy School of the Arts is located in Olathe, Kansas.  Our dance companies do numerous performances throughout the year in support of youth and community arts exposure, but the majority of these shows take place “out south”.  To dance at Crown Center, the gateway to Downtown Kansas City, was a first for most of our students. To spend a weekend among visual artists of all ages gave these young dancers the opportunity to express their own dramatic artistry as they became street performers.  The audience, the artists, the music, the spacious stage, the phenomenal weather…… all were invigorating!
There were about 50 dancers involved in the weekend activities and their families (parents and siblings) explored the the Crown Center complex.  My colleagues, Maura Landers and Debbie Jacobs, choreographed a flash mob that included families from Legacy School of the Arts.  Everyone involved brought friends who brought more friends to be part of the flash mob!  Overall, many people were introduced to a new event that they will return to.
We look forward to hearing the plans for the 2013 Chalk and Walk!  The dancers are hoping to be invited back!!!
~ Michele Hamlett-Weith, Artistic Director, Legacy School of the Arts