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Cleveland Museum of Art 36th Annual Chalk Festival - After the Rain

Blog Date
Author(s)
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.
Tags
Cleveland
Art
University Circle
Museums
Cleveland Museum of Art
Chalk Festival

This official Cleveland Museum of Art Facebook video shows the pre-rain chalk drawings.

The Cleveland Museum of Art Facebook post: These colorful creations scared off the rain juuuuuust long enough for another successful year of Chalk Festival. Thanks to all who joined us in grabbing their chalk and bringing their creative ideas to the sidewalk. We loved watching your masterpieces come to life.
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Chalk Festival
Saturday, September 20, 2025, 12:00–5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 21, 2025, 12:00–5:00 p.m.
Location: Fine Arts Garden
Free to Attend; Fee to Participate

About The Event
The Chalk Festival features sidewalk artistry by professional chalk artists and local community groups, families, and individuals, all using the CMA’s south plaza and walkways that wind through the Fine Arts Garden and down to Wade Lagoon as a colorful canvas.

The Chalk Festival is a modern expression of a Renaissance tradition from 16th-century Italy in which artists copied paintings of the Madonna by Raphael and his contemporaries using chalk on the plazas outside cathedrals.

Everyone can participate at the Chalk Festival! To chalk your own square, purchase a square of pavement (chalk pastels included) at the registration tent: $15 small square (includes a 12-count set of chalk pastels), $20 large square (includes a 24-count set of chalk pastels).

The 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.

2025 Featured Artists:
Raymond Rodriguez
Sylvia Munodawafa
Nathalie Bermudez
Mark Alexander Dawson
Jennifer Price

Sponsors
Major support is provided by Akron Children’s.

As I parked my car, it was a beautiful summer day for the Cleveland Museum of Art 36th Annual Chalk Festival on Sunday, September 21, 2025. Less than ten minutes later, it started raining, but fortunately, it was a short cloudburst. The rain only returned on and off for the rest of the afternoon. Despite the fact that I missed seeing the pre-rain chalk drawings by just a few minutes, I still found the artwork most enjoyable, along with the festive environment of the Fine Arts Garden.

 

 

“Soft Focus”

I heard a fellow attendee of the event state that the brief rainfall brought a “soft focus” to the chalk artwork! That was an astute observation.

Here are my 118 photos from the day:

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode.
Please feel free to pause the video to look closer at the artwork in the slides!!

 

 

Emanuel Wallace's Photos From CMA’s 2025 Chalk Festival

Sunday, September 21, 2025, Emanuel Wallace's Photos From CMA’s 2025 Chalk Festival. I arranged the photos so that you can see the photo Emanuel Wallace took of me (in blue shirt) and of University Circle Artist-In-Residence Sylvia Munodawafa creating her artwork (center photo). Be sure to go to the Cleveland Scene website to see all 60 photos.
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This year’s edition of the Chalk Festival featured music, food vendors, the artwork of hundreds of Clevelanders — and a few rain showers, but they couldn’t dampen the artistic spirits of those in attendance. Here’s what we saw.

As I arrived after the initial rain, I heard someone call my name. It was Emanuel Wallace, who was at the museum to take photos for Cleveland Scene Magazine. Like me, he had just arrived after the initial rainfall. Despite the rain, he captured the fun atmosphere and artistic creativity in his photography.

See his 60 photos from the day:

When you look at Emanuel Wallace's slideshow, you will see that he captured a photo on me (in blue shirt) taking a video of the live music at the event. He also photographed on action shot of Sylvia Munodawafa (who I mention below) touching up her chalk artwork after the rain.

 

 

Music to Chase the Rain Away!!

There was live music at the Chalk Festival. Soon after I arrived, the singers sang about the fun of chalking again after the rain:

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode.

 

 

University Circle Artist-In-Residence Sylvia Munodawafa

Sunday, September 21, 2025, University Circle Artist-In-Residence Sylvia Munodawafa at the 2025 Chalk Festival.
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When I reached the lower level of the Chalk Festival, near the lagoon, I said to myself that I recognized the style of artwork in one of the drawings there. It reminded me of the artwork I featured in a blog post I had written in March 2025. When I looked at the signage above the artwork, I confirmed that it was created by University Circle Artist-In-Residence Sylvia Munodawafa. Learn more about her work and the new University Circle Community Room in my blog post:

I first met Sylvia Munodawafa at a Cleveland Institute of Art event last fall, but I had not seen her in person since then. Near the end of the Chalk Festival, I was fortunate to be able to talk to Sylvia Munodawafa as I joined her and Emanuel Wallace. The three of us talked about her work as the first University Circle Artist-In-Residence.

See the University Circle Inc. Community Room web page for information about free "Mask Making Classes with Sylvia: Unleash your Creativity," and other classes offered in the new community room. The following is Sylvia Munodawafa's bio from University Circle's website:

My name is Sylvia Munodawafa, and I am honored to be named the inaugural University Circle Inc. (UCI) Artist in Residence for 2025. As the first artist to hold this title, I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to share my work with the vibrant communities that make up University Circle. I commend UCI for investing in local artists through initiatives like this and creating meaningful platforms for creative expression.

I am an abstract painter, arts educator, photographer, and sculptor originally from Harare, Zimbabwe. I’ve spent most of my adult life in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where my artistic journey truly began. After graduating from Beaumont High School, I went on to study at the Cleveland Institute of Art—a pivotal experience that confirmed my desire to pursue a full-time creative career.

While I primarily work with acrylic paint on canvas, I’m always exploring new techniques, surfaces, and mediums. My artistic style has evolved significantly over the years, moving from simple drawings to bold abstract works and sculptural pieces deeply inspired by my African heritage.

In 2024, I was recognized as one of Heights Arts Gallery’s Emergent Artists and later presented my first solo exhibition at Pinwheel Gallery. I also served as the 2024 Resident Artist for Curated Storefront at Akron's I PROMISE School. I’ve had the privilege of participating in numerous group shows throughout Northeast Ohio and continue to grow through each new experience.

Every interaction, every person I meet, and every community I engage with adds new dimensions and flavor to my work. There is still so much I want to explore, and I’m excited to see not only where I take my art but also where my art takes me

 

Related Blog Posts

I always like to include in my blog posts a list of related posts that may be of interest to my readers:

Please take some time to see artwork from the past thirteen Cleveland Museum of Art Chalk Festivals by reading my blog posts:

See more by reading my 62 "Cleveland Museum of Art" blog posts, or 81 "University Circle" blog posts.

At last count, there are 102 other blog posts tagged "Art!"

For this, my fourteenth Chalk Festival blog post, I want to thank all the creative people who participated. The chalk art created at the Cleveland Museum of Art Chalk Festival every year is outstanding!

Thank you for reading my blog post. You can learn about my travel journeys with my wife and co-blogger, Julie, and the venues we explore in Cleveland and Akron at: sosAssociates.com/Blog