“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Pablo Picasso
Although it may look like a scene right out of Disney’s Mary Poppins, it’s actually an art event in Jurupa Valley, and the characters in this story are not fictional but actual members of the surrounding communities. This event took place on April 12th at the Spectrum on Limonite Avenue in the City of Jurupa Valley. Residents and art loving folk all came together to enjoy a festive, celebration of spring. The event was properly titled “Chalk It Up To Spring.” Although the event did not only consist of chalk art, but also featured a free photo shoot with the Easter Bunny, vendor booths with homemade works of art and a booth from JARPD, local artists showcasing their art pieces and many great treats for children and families. The event began at 11am at the foot of the Jurupa 14 TriStone Cinemas on a warm spring morning, which officially ended three hours later at 2pm. This event was hosted by the Jurupa Valley Spectrum with support from the Jurupa Valley Arts Council and Healthy Jurupa Valley.
As I walked around the open plaza, I observed the young and young at heart artists create wonderful displays of artistic expressions with chalk. I even enjoyed in the chalk art activity along with a few of my colleagues. The theme of the event was all about the spring season. There are many things that we associate with spring such as sunny skies, blooming flowers with great aromas and green pastures. We look forward to all these great qualities every year and as we all may agree, nature is always a great inspiration for art, and as I walked around snapping photos, I saw artists drawing flowers, sunrises, and Easter eggs. I also saw some pieces that were quite exceptional- cartoon characters, a building skyline, a rendering of Christ, detailed flowers to name a few. There were so many different activities that the public could partake. The Arts Council had coloring pages for kids, there was a raffle to win prizes and treats, a boutique and massages for adults, face painting, drawn self-portraits, and of course lots of chalk.
The event was conceived by Jurupa Valley Council Woman Laura Roughton and Linda Thompson, manager of the Spectrum. They informed Habitat for Humanity Riverside through their coalition ties with Healthy Jurupa Valley’s Action Team: Arts and Recreation. The Arts and Recreation action team then contacted their partners and the process continued. A flyer was created by Joe Gonzalez, Randall Lewis Fellow with Jurupa Valley’s Planning Department, who showcased the information needed for the public and our partners. The chalk and tape was provided by Council Woman Roughton, and the blue tape outlines for the chalk sections were placed by AmeriCorps National Members Daniel Anchondo, Azhar Khan and Council Woman Roughton.
The event went on without any hitch, which is great seeing that this was our first chalk art event. People surely enjoyed themselves and a resident even asked me if this event was an annual event. It was definitely a success and I believe it should be an annual event! Thank you to all the artists from the communities, arts students, members of the Arts Council and the vendors with homemade works of art. Thank you to those who manned the booths and tables, the Easter Bunny and photographer, Jurupa 14 Tri Stone Cinemas for donating movie tickets for the raffles, Martha with the Spectrum, who gladly swept and cleaned the plaza, Bob with the Edie D. Smith Senior Center for providing the tables and chairs, and everyone who participated in this event.
Let’s continue to spread the love of art in our communities. Strive on artists!
