Street art festival returns to Bigfork

Bigfork, with the second year of the Chalk ’n’ Rock Festival, is following in a tradition that began during the middle ages in Italy. The festival will take place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19 and 20, when Bigfork’s Electric Avenue becomes the canvas for a number of Madonnari, or street painters, who will decorate the street with large chalk renderings.

The original Italian concept resulted from a real-estate cycle of sorts in which, following a boom period of cathedral construction, a number of fresco artists found themselves unemployed and literally in the streets. And with the creative spirit that often characterizes artistic individuals, some began plying their trade on the streets of the cities and towns, drawing portraits of the Madonna and the like to the delight of the townsfolk, who often rewarded their efforts with a coin or perhaps a chicken.

Today, these modern Madonnari are found at street painting festivals around the globe. Some of the notable festivals are found in Grants Pass, Oregon; Santa Barbara, California; Sarasota, Florida; Victoria, British Columbia; and now Bigfork. In festivals that range from a couple of days to more than a week, street artists take their pastels to the pavement, producing temporary pieces of art as beautiful as they are transient.

Starting before dawn on Saturday, festival staff will prepare large, black squares on the pavement of Electric Avenue. Shortly after first light, the artists begin to lay out their pieces. By noon Sunday, most pieces are complete. Last year, the first year of the Bigfork festival, subjects ranged from landscapes to dinosaurs to horses, cats, dogs, children, and ultimately the face of God.

“In our first year we brought in a couple artists with established street-painting reputations, just to kind of jump start the festival,” said 2014 festival organizer David Vale. “And a couple remarkable works resulted. But the surprise was the talent we found locally, several local artists producing works that rivaled those of the professionals.”

The Bigfork Chalk ‘n’ Rock Festival has made a few improvements over the early Italian attempts. Artists find the macadam surface of Electric Avenue more conducive to detailed imagery than were the dirt and cobblestone streets of medieval Italy.  And, where the early Madonnari may have been accompanied by the odd minstrel or two, the Bigfork festival has a full stage and sound system supporting several notable area bands playing through Saturday and Sunday. Many food, drink and business vendors will also be on hand throughout the weekend.

Applications for street artists are also still being accepted. Visit www.ChalkNRock.org for details and an application.

The Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce is a major supporter of the Festival.

“We appreciate the work that David Vale and Sandy and Monte Sanford did in getting the event started last year,” said Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Heather Burnham. “But as the event grows, it requires the involvement of more people to make it happen and the Chamber is happy to take on this larger role.”

The festival is free and open to the public, open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days. The festival is a rain or shine event.

“Rain is a challenge wherever you have an outdoor activity,” Vale said. “Last year the weather was beautiful both days.  But rain is always a threat and you deal with rain by covering up and continuing on as soon as it’s over. In the end, the ephemeral nature of this medium is part of what makes it so engaging.”

For more information, visit www.ChalkNRock.org or contact the Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce at 406-837-5888.