The Hub on Canal’s 5th annual “Chalk It Up!” sidewalk art competition took place on Saturday, February 26th. Artists created beautiful artwork all along Canal Street from 9am to 3pm, each working to fill every inch of their assigned four foot square with colorful chalk. New Smyrna Beach Utilities Commission sponsored the event along with the Canal Street Historic District, City Market Bistro, Goofballs Garage, Beach Vision, Dairy Queen and others. It was a warm, sunny day, perfect for getting out of the house to see some talented artists create their masterpieces.
This was UCNSB’s fourth year participating in the event, and they are proud to be what is dubbed by The Hub on Canal as a “Grand Master” level sponsor. They invite local elementary students through their school art programs to participate in the event each year, and provide a theme for them to follow. This year’s theme allowed the children to choose a nationally recognized day related to conservation to depict in their artwork. These holidays spread awareness and get people thinking about conservation and sustainability of water and energy.
Four teams of students were included in the event this year, which is double the number of schools that participated last year. They set up on the sidewalks on either side of the street at the corner of Magnolia and Canal st., right outside the UCNSB building. The group from Indian River Elementary school designed a picture representing “National Hang Out Day,” which is a day observed by hanging your clothes out to dry on a clothesline instead of using the dryer. They incorporated their school mascot, a manatee, into their artwork by making an underwater scene – adding humor to their design as well. The children; Bristol, Raigyn, Grayson, Colton and Owen, had lots of fun sharing their artwork with people walking by.
The group from Edgewater Public School, represented in the accompanying photo by Liam and Jocelyn, chose the same “National Hang Out Day” theme for their project. However, they drew their depiction as a clothes line located on the beach rather than underwater. The children are members of the school’s art program, and were excited to represent their class.
The third group of students, from Coronado Beach Elementary, chose “Clean Air Day” as their topic. The kids, Bria, Mia, Elleona and Xavier, showed the contrast in air quality within our cities versus that in the wilderness by creating two images side-by-side within their work area. The city showed the effects of air pollution in the form of gray cloudy smog, while the wilderness showed trees and clean water. A brightly colored rainbow topped off the picture.
The fourth group of students, representing Sacred Heart Catholic School, drew a colorful picture which included many different types of marine life swimming underwater. Lizzie, Isabella, Carolina, Gavin and Sofia included the phrase, “Please keep our water clean!” to show the importance of keeping our waters free of pollution.
With a bigger turnout than in the past, this year’s “Chalk It Up” was a huge success. “As always, we enjoy getting our water and energy conservation message out to our community, and encouraging kids to think about how they can help,” said Ellen Fisher, Community Relations Coordinator for the Utilities Commission. Ellen and the rest of New Smyrna Beach Utilities Commission are happy to be a part of this fun, family-friendly event each year.