This summer, children and adults in the community will chalk the town red, orange, yellow, and all the other colours of the rainbow.
Winkler Arts+Culture (WA+C) has brought back Chalk the City.
The program, which runs for four weeks, encourages the community to get outside to decorate driveways and sidewalks in Winkler.
There are prizes available, too.
“People can do chalk art on their sidewalks and public spaces and then snap a picture, fill out a little form, send us a photo,” said Jane Unruh Thiessen, a program assistant with WA+C. “Then at the end of every week, we'll spin a wheel and pick a winner [for a] prize.”
Some of the prizes include a gift card from Charley B’s or a gift from Country Cycle. At the end of the four weeks, there will also be a prize for Wonder Shows, which Unruh Thiessen says will come just in time for Winkler’s Harvest Festival.
An ‘accessible’ summer activity
For Unruh Thiessen, the value in the program, in addition to enhancing the city with upbeat chalk drawings, lies in its accessibility — drawing masterpieces on the pavement is something that everyone can easily get involved in.
Children, especially, can benefit, according to the program assistant.
“We think it's important to foster their creativity when they're young, because once you're older, if you didn't get that while you're young, it's kind of hard to get into it for the first time,” she said. “We really just like to encourage that kids do art all the time, whenever they feel like it.”
After the first week of Chalk the City, Unruh Thiessen said WA+C has received pictures of items such as popsicles, animals, and flowers.
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One sidewalk artist also taped the pavement, chalked it, and removed the tape to reveal a negative-space creation.
Other events with WA+C
As the summer progresses, Winkler Arts + Culture has additional events for the community to participate in, including the centre’s upcoming Pottery Paint & Sip event, in partnership with Clay Owl, on July 25th.
To see what else is happening at WA+C this summer, click here.
With files from Ty Hildebrand